Market Movements - US stock index futures are all up, with Dow futures rising by 0.02%, S&P 500 futures up by 0.18%, and Nasdaq futures increasing by 0.22% [1] - European indices show declines, with Germany's DAX down by 0.54%, UK's FTSE 100 down by 0.26%, France's CAC 40 down by 0.15%, and the Euro Stoxx 50 down by 0.16% [2][3] - WTI crude oil prices increased by 0.54% to $63.64 per barrel, while Brent crude rose by 0.34% to $67.67 per barrel [3][4] Economic Insights - US retail sales for August are expected to show a month-on-month increase of 0.2%, with core retail sales projected to rise by 0.4% when excluding automobiles and gasoline [5] - The S&P 500 index, excluding technology stocks, has risen by 13% over the past year, while profits have only grown by 6.4%, indicating potential overvaluation in non-tech sectors [5] Company News - Oracle (ORCL.US) shares rose over 5% in pre-market trading as it is reportedly involved in a consortium to maintain TikTok's operations in the US [7] - Tesla (TSLA.US) is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding potential issues with the electronic door handles of certain Model Y vehicles [8][9] - Nvidia's (NVDA.US) new RTX6000D chip for the Chinese market is facing low demand, with major tech companies showing little interest due to high pricing and perceived low value [9] - TSMC (TSM.US) saw its market share in the semiconductor foundry sector rise to 38% in Q2 2025, driven by strong AI demand and Chinese subsidies [10] - Google (GOOGL.US) faces challenges as the DOJ rejects its proposal to divest part of its advertising technology business, insisting on a complete separation of its AdX platform [10] - Corteva (CTVA.US) is reportedly considering splitting its seed and pesticide businesses, but this potential move has raised concerns among Wall Street analysts [11] - Disney (DIS.US) has acquired a 2% stake in Webtoon (WBTN.US) and will collaborate to develop a digital platform for classic comic content, leading to a pre-market surge of over 39% in Webtoon shares [11]

Group 1 - TSMC's market share in the semiconductor foundry sector is projected to rise to 38% in Q2 2025, a 7 percentage point increase from 31% in the same period last year, driven by a 19% year-on-year increase in overall foundry revenue, largely due to strong demand for advanced processes and packaging technologies from AI applications, as well as a pull-in effect from China's subsidy policies [1] - Counterpoint forecasts that foundry revenue will continue to grow in Q3 2025, achieving a moderate single-digit growth rate [1] - TSMC is expected to maintain its leading position in advanced packaging technology, as chip designers increasingly rely on it to enhance performance, supported by TSMC's technological advantages and strong customer relationships [1] Group 2 - In comparison, most other foundry players, including IDM outsourcing shares, either maintained or slightly decreased their market shares in Q2, with Texas Instruments and Intel holding steady at 6%, Infineon dropping from 6% to 5%, and Samsung declining from 5% to 4% [1] - The main drivers for Q3 are expected to be the traditional peak season for consumer electronics, accelerated AI application orders, and existing subsidy policies in China [2]

Group 1 - The company, SMIC, is engaged in the foundry of MCU chips and special memory chips [1]

Core Insights - The company's Q2 revenue performance exceeded expectations, with total operating revenue reaching 32.348 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 23.14% [1] - The total profit amounted to 3.627 billion yuan, reflecting a significant year-on-year growth of 98.77% [1] - The net profit attributable to shareholders was 2.301 billion yuan, up 39.76% year-on-year, while the net profit excluding non-recurring gains and losses was 1.9 billion yuan, a 47.8% increase [1] - Operating cash flow also showed strong performance, increasing by 81.7% year-on-year to 5.898 billion yuan [1] - The company had previously guided for a 4-6% sequential decline in Q2 revenue, but the actual decline was only 1.56%, indicating better-than-expected performance [1] - For Q3, the company anticipates a sequential revenue growth of 5% to 7%, with a gross margin expected to be between 18% and 20% [1] Revenue Breakdown - Consumer electronics remain the main growth driver, with revenue from related products reaching 12.3 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 53.80% [2] - Revenue from smartphone-related products was 7.4 billion yuan, showing a slight decline of 1.67% year-on-year [2] - Revenue from computers and tablets was 4.9 billion yuan, up 33.31% year-on-year [2] - Revenue from automotive-related products surged to 3 billion yuan, marking a 65.15% year-on-year increase [2] - Revenue from smart wearables was 2.5 billion yuan, down 13.63% year-on-year [2] - The share of consumer electronics revenue remains dominant at 38.28%, while the share of automotive-related revenue has increased from 8.58% to 9.48% from 2023 to H1 2025 [2] Capital Expenditure Outlook - The company expects capital expenditures in 2025 to remain roughly in line with 2024, which is projected at 7.33 billion USD, a slight decrease of 1.87% year-on-year [2]

Core Viewpoint - Lian Microelectronics (605358.SH) focuses on compound semiconductor RF and optoelectronic chip foundry services, specifically providing VCSEL chip foundry services for LiDAR manufacturers, without directly competing in the downstream LiDAR market [1] Group 1 - Lian Dongxin is one of only two global suppliers capable of producing two-dimensional addressable VCSEL chips, indicating a technological leadership in the VCSEL chip foundry market [1] - The company is actively advancing low-cost process research and development, as well as domestic material substitution, to enhance its competitiveness [1]

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company, expecting a relative increase in stock price of over 20% compared to the benchmark index within the next six months [7][15]. Core Views - The company has shown a continuous increase in revenue and profit, with H1 2025 revenue reaching 5.198 billion yuan, up 18.21% year-on-year, and net profit attributable to shareholders at 332 million yuan, up 77.61% year-on-year [3][4]. - The company is actively expanding its product offerings, particularly in CIS and PMIC segments, which are increasingly contributing to revenue [5][6]. - The company is also making significant advancements in new product development, particularly in OLED display driver chips, with expectations for mass production by the end of 2025 [6]. Company Overview - The latest closing price of the company's stock is 24.89 yuan, with a total market capitalization of 49.9 billion yuan [2]. - The company has a total share capital of 2.006 billion shares, with 1.187 billion shares in circulation [2]. - The company's asset-liability ratio stands at 48.2%, and the current P/E ratio is 92.19 [2]. Financial Performance - For H1 2025, the company achieved a comprehensive gross margin of 25.76% [4]. - The main business revenue for H1 2025 was 5.130 billion yuan, with a significant portion coming from various process nodes and application products [5]. - Revenue projections for 2025, 2026, and 2027 are estimated at 10.864 billion yuan, 12.485 billion yuan, and 14.153 billion yuan, respectively, with net profits expected to be 854 million yuan, 1.256 billion yuan, and 1.526 billion yuan [7][11].

Core Viewpoint - TSMC has significantly increased its market share to 70.2% in Q2 2025, driven by strong revenue growth and advanced process technology, while Samsung's market share has declined to 7.3% [2][3][5]. Group 1: Market Share and Revenue Growth - TSMC's market share reached 70.2%, up from 67.6% in the previous quarter, marking a significant increase [2][3]. - The overall wafer foundry industry revenue grew by 14.6% quarter-on-quarter, with TSMC's revenue growth at 18.5%, reaching $30.239 billion [3][5]. - Samsung's market share decreased from 7.7% to 7.3%, with revenue of $3.159 billion and a growth rate of 9.2% [5]. Group 2: Future Projections and Investments - Analysts expect TSMC's market share to rise to 75% by 2026, supported by increasing demand for 2nm processes [3][7]. - TSMC plans to invest up to $49 billion in the construction of a 1.4nm chip factory in Taiwan, aiming to maintain its technological leadership [7]. - TSMC is set to begin mass production of 2nm technology in Q4 2025, with initial capacity already secured by Apple and future orders from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Broadcom [7]. Group 3: Competitive Landscape - Despite TSMC's clear advantages, Samsung is actively pursuing advancements in 2nm GAA technology, aiming to launch the Exynos 2600 chip [8]. - However, Samsung's current production capacity and customer base are insufficient to compete with TSMC's established position in the market [8]. - TSMC's stable customer foundation and advanced process nodes ensure its continued dominance in the global wafer foundry market [8].

Core Viewpoint - SMIC (688981.SH) announced plans to issue RMB ordinary shares (A-shares) to acquire minority stakes in its subsidiary, SMIC North Integrated Circuit Manufacturing (Beijing) Co., Ltd, leading to a stock suspension starting September 1, 2025, for no more than 10 trading days [2]. Company Overview - SMIC North Integrated Circuit Manufacturing (Beijing) Co., Ltd has a registered capital of USD 480 million and specializes in semiconductor manufacturing, including integrated circuit chips with a line width of 28 nanometers and below [3]. - The transaction is not expected to constitute a major asset restructuring but is classified as a related party transaction, with an asset purchase intention agreement signed with major shareholders of SMIC North [3]. Stock Performance - SMIC's A-shares fell by 3.74% to CNY 114.76 per share after a previous increase of over 17%, which had set a historical high [4]. Financial Performance - For Q2 2025, SMIC reported total sales revenue of USD 2.209 billion, a decrease of 1.7% quarter-on-quarter, with a gross margin of 20.4%, down by 2.1 percentage points [5][7]. - The company’s operating profit decreased by 51.3% to USD 150.677 million, while net profit fell by 54.6% to USD 146.681 million compared to the previous quarter [7]. - Year-to-date, SMIC's sales revenue reached USD 4.46 billion, a 22% increase year-on-year, with a gross margin of 21.4%, up by 7.6 percentage points from the previous year [8]. Production Capacity - SMIC's monthly production capacity increased from 973,300 wafers in Q1 2025 to 991,300 wafers in Q2 2025, with a capacity utilization rate of 92.5%, up from 89.6% in the previous quarter [9]. - The company shipped 2.3902 million wafers in Q2 2025, reflecting a 4.3% quarter-on-quarter increase and a 13.2% year-on-year increase [9]. Market Outlook - For Q3 2025, SMIC provided revenue guidance of a 5% to 7% increase quarter-on-quarter, with a gross margin forecast of 18% to 20% [10].

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company [4][3] Core Views - The company achieved a revenue of 5.198 billion RMB in 1H25, representing a year-over-year increase of 18.21%, and a net profit of 332 million RMB, up 77.61% year-over-year [1][4] - The revenue growth in 2Q25 was driven by steady capacity expansion and high utilization rates, with a revenue of 2.631 billion RMB, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 21.24% and a quarter-over-quarter increase of 2.46% [1][2] - The company is optimistic about the expansion of its N3 plant capacity and the growth of CIS and PMIC products, which will enhance its product structure [1][3] Summary by Sections Financial Performance - In 1H25, the company reported a net profit of 332 million RMB, with a non-recurring net profit of 204 million RMB, showing increases of 77.61% and 115.30% year-over-year, respectively [1][4] - The gross margin in 2Q25 was 24.32%, with a year-over-year increase of 0.46 percentage points [1][2] Product Development - The company has diversified its product offerings, achieving mass production across various platforms including DDIC, CIS, PMIC, MCU, and Logic [2] - The revenue contribution from different process nodes includes 10.38% from 55nm, 43.14% from 90nm, 26.74% from 110nm, and 19.67% from 150nm [2] Future Outlook - The company expects the OLED DDIC business to be a key growth driver, with a projected CAGR of 4.5% for OLED DDIC shipments from 2024 to 2030 [2] - The CIS market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6% from 2023 to 2029, with the company’s 55nm CIS platform already in mass production [2] - The PMIC platform has become a significant revenue growth line, with its revenue contribution increasing from 9% in 2024 to 12% in 1H25 [2] Valuation - The target price is set at 32.22 RMB, based on a 3.0x PB valuation, reflecting an increase from the previous target of 27.10 RMB [3][4] - The estimated net profits for 2025, 2026, and 2027 are projected to be 870 million RMB, 1.12 billion RMB, and 1.31 billion RMB, respectively [3][8]

Core Viewpoint - Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) reported a significant increase in revenue and profit for the first half of 2025, driven by higher wafer sales and average selling prices [1] Financial Performance - Revenue for the first half of 2025 was approximately $4.456 billion, representing a year-on-year growth of 22% [1] - The revenue from wafer foundry services was $4.2286 billion, showing a year-on-year increase of 24.6% [1] - The net profit attributable to shareholders was around $320 million, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 35.6% [1] - Basic earnings per share were reported at $0.04 [1] Sales and Pricing - The number of wafers sold (equivalent to 8-inch standard logic) increased by 19.9%, from 3,907 thousand units in the same period last year to 4,682 thousand units [1] - The average selling price of wafers rose to $903, compared to $869 in the previous year [1] Market Position and Capacity - SMIC continues to hold the second position globally in pure wafer foundry services [1] - The company has made solid progress in capacity expansion, adding nearly 20,000 pieces of 12-inch standard logic monthly capacity in the first half of 2025 [1] - The overall capacity utilization rate is leading in the industry [1] Innovation and Collaboration - The company is steadily advancing in process research and development, as well as platform construction, enhancing product competitiveness and market influence [1] - SMIC has achieved significant results in open collaboration, engaging closely with upstream and downstream partners in the supply chain, as well as with universities and research institutions for talent cultivation [1] - The company is committed to advancing digital initiatives and fostering open cooperation to build consensus and synergy [1]