Core Viewpoint - Recent rumors regarding Intel's (INTC.US) foundry revival have negatively impacted TSMC (TSM.US), raising investor concerns about increased competition. However, JPMorgan believes that the "competitive illusion" created by Intel's foundry efforts is actually more beneficial for TSMC [1] Group 1: Intel's Developments - Intel has made significant progress recently, with reports of potential government investment and a $2 billion investment from SoftBank. Key customers may also participate in the revival of Intel's wafer fabrication facilities [1] - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated that the U.S. cannot rely solely on TSMC for advanced chip supply and aims to shift more capacity back to the U.S. [1] Group 2: TSMC's Market Position - JPMorgan asserts that the illusion of having a weaker competitor is more advantageous for TSMC, as it alleviates ongoing regulatory pressures and the push to return business to the U.S. [2] - Despite potential negative perceptions from market participants regarding major TSMC clients like Apple or Nvidia supporting Intel's revival, JPMorgan believes that this will not resolve the inherent conflicts of interest between products and foundries [2] - TSMC is expected to maintain over 90% market share in advanced nodes for the foreseeable future, as the costs associated with a 100% market share may outweigh the benefits [2] Group 3: Geopolitical and Regulatory Factors - Reports suggest that the U.S. government may convert part of the CHIPS Act funding into equity stakes in participating companies, which could require TSMC to sell a small portion of its equity, likely not exceeding 1% [3] - JPMorgan believes that this potential equity sale is unlikely to significantly alter TSMC's strategic direction and that TSMC will probably not operate Intel's factories or share intellectual property or technology with Intel [3] Group 4: Overall Market Outlook - JPMorgan concludes that while geopolitical factors may cause short-term volatility, TSMC's fundamentals remain strong, indicating potential for upward movement [4]

Report Industry Investment Ratings Not provided in the given content. Core Views of the Report - Various commodities show different trends, including price fluctuations, range - bound trading, and impacts from macro and industry news [2][6] - Some commodities are affected by factors such as supply - demand relationships, cost support, and policy changes Summary by Commodities Precious Metals - **Gold**: PPI exceeding expectations dampens interest - rate cut expectations, with a trend strength of - 1 [2][8] - **Silver**: Experiences a slight decline, with a trend strength of - 1 [2][8] Base Metals - **Copper**: The rise of the US dollar puts pressure on prices, with a trend strength of 0 [2][12] - **Zinc**: Shows a slight decline, with a trend strength of - 1 [2][15] - **Lead**: A significant increase in overseas inventories puts pressure on prices, with a trend strength of - 1 [2][18] - **Tin**: Trades in a range, with a trend strength of - 1 [2][21] - **Aluminum**: Trades in a range, with a trend strength of 0; Alumina's center of gravity moves down, with a trend strength of - 1; Casting aluminum alloy follows electrolytic aluminum, with a trend strength of 0 [2][25] - **Nickel**: Narrowly fluctuates based on fundamentals, and investors should be wary of news - related risks, with a trend strength of 0 [2][28] - **Stainless Steel**: The steel price fluctuates due to the game between macro expectations and reality, with a trend strength of 0 [2][28] Energy - related Metals - **Carbonate Lithium**: Trades in a range, and investors should pay attention to supply disruptions, with a trend strength of 0 [2][34] Industrial Metals - **Industrial Silicon**: Market sentiment weakens, with a trend strength of - 1 [2][38] - **Polysilicon**: Market news boosts sentiment, with a trend strength of 1 [2][39] Ferrous Metals - **Iron Ore**: Macro risk appetite has not significantly declined, and there is still support, with a trend strength of 0 [2][43] - **Rebar**: Trades in a wide range, with a trend strength of - 1 [2][46] - **Hot - rolled Coil**: Trades in a wide range, with a trend strength of 0 [2][47] - **Silicon Ferrosilicon**: The market leans towards fundamentals and shows a weak - side fluctuation, with a trend strength of - 1 [2][51] - **Silicomanganese**: The market leans towards fundamentals and shows a weak - side fluctuation, with a trend strength of - 1 [2][51] - **Coke**: Trades at a high level, with a trend strength of 0 [2][55] - **Coking Coal**: Trades at a high level, with a trend strength of 0 [2][55] Forestry Products - **Log**: Fluctuates repeatedly, with a trend strength of 0 [2][58] Chemicals - **Para - xylene**: Cost support is weak, but terminal demand improves, and the monthly spread remains strong [2][62] - **PTA**: Weak reality and strong expectations lead to a monthly - spread reverse arbitrage [2][62] - **MEG**: The arrival volume this week is low, and the basis strengthens [2][62] Rubber - **Rubber**: Fluctuates weakly [2][31] - **Synthetic Rubber**: Pulls back in the short - term and trades in a range in the medium - term [2][33] Building Materials - **Asphalt**: Poor sales and unfavorable crude - oil trends [2][35] - **LLDPE**: Trades in a range [2][38] - **PP**: Tends to be weak, but investors should be cautious when short - selling at low levels [2][39] - **Caustic Soda**: Should be treated bullishly, but investors should pay attention to the situation of near - month warehouse receipts [2][40] - **Pulp**: Fluctuates weakly [2][41] - **Glass**: The price of the original sheet is stable [2][43] - **Methanol**: Fluctuates [2][44] - **Urea**: Driven by short - term news, the upside space narrows [2][46] - **Soda Ash**: Little change in the spot market [2][48] - **LPG**: The risk of squeezing positions in the near - month contract still exists [2][49] Agricultural Products - **Palm Oil**: Follows the macro trend and adjusts [2][61] - **Soybean Oil**: Lacks driving force from US soybeans and adjusts [2][61] - **Soybean Meal**: The overnight US soybeans close lower, and the domestic soybean meal adjusts and fluctuates [2][63] - **Soybean**: The atmosphere in the soybean market is weak, and it adjusts and fluctuates [2][63] - **Corn**: Runs weakly [2][65] - **Sugar**: The import volume in July increases significantly year - on - year [2][67] - **Cotton**: Investors should pay attention to the listing of new cotton [2][68] - **Egg**: The long - term expectation is weak [2][70] - **Live Pig**: Wait for the verification of the spot price at the end of the month [2][71] - **Peanut**: Investors should pay attention to the situation of new peanuts [2][72] Shipping - **Container Shipping Index (European Line)**: Fluctuates and consolidates, and investors can hold short positions in the October contract as appropriate [2][54] Textiles - **Short - fiber**: Trades in a short - term range, and investors should pay attention to the approaching peak - season demand [2][58] - **Bottle - grade Chip**: Has limited downside space and trades in a range [2][58] - **Offset Printing Paper**: Fluctuates at a low level and has limited upward momentum [2][59] - **Pure Benzene**: Fluctuates weakly [2][60]

Group 1 - TSMC reported a net profit of NT$398.27 billion (approximately RMB 94.78 billion) for Q2 2025, with its Arizona factory contributing NT$6.447 billion (approximately RMB 1.534 billion) in investment income after four years of losses [1] - The Arizona factory had accumulated losses exceeding NT$39.4 billion over the past four years, with losses of NT$4.976 billion and NT$4.979 billion in Q3 and Q4 of 2024, respectively [1] - Despite the contribution from the Arizona factory, it only accounted for 1.62% of TSMC's total net profit for Q2 [1] Group 2 - TSMC announced a total investment of $65 billion for three advanced chip factories in the U.S., followed by an additional $100 billion for three more advanced chip factories, two advanced packaging plants, and a research center [2] - The P1 factory began production in Q4 of last year, while the P2 factory is expected to start equipment installation in Q3 of next year and begin mass production in 2027 [2] Group 3 - TSMC's subsidiary in Japan, JASM, continues to operate at a loss, with losses reported at NT$11.19 billion, NT$11.87 billion, NT$32.49 billion, and NT$29.73 billion over recent quarters [4] - The low capacity utilization rate of approximately 50% at JASM's first wafer fab is attributed to intense competition in mature process nodes [4] - The slow recovery in the automotive and consumer markets is cited as a reason for the delayed construction of JASM's second factory [4] Group 4 - TSMC's Arizona factory has achieved a monthly production capacity of approximately 34,000 wafers for 4nm chips, fully booked by clients such as Apple and AMD [5] - The profitability of the Arizona factory is contingent on capacity utilization and product margins, with TSMC indicating that overseas factory mass production will dilute margins by 2-3% annually in the initial years, increasing to 3-4% later [5] Group 5 - U.S. government officials have expressed concerns about the return on investment from subsidies provided to semiconductor manufacturers, including TSMC [6] - The U.S. government is considering acquiring equity stakes in companies like TSMC as part of the Chip Act funding [6][7] - There is a push from U.S. officials to relocate some chip manufacturing back to the U.S. for national security reasons [7]

1. Report Industry Investment Ratings No industry investment ratings are provided in the report. 2. Core Views of the Report - Gold: PPI exceeding expectations dampens expectations of interest rate cuts [2][4] - Silver: Experiences a slight decline [2][4] - Copper: The rise of the US dollar puts pressure on prices [2][9] - Zinc: Shows a slight drop [2][12] - Lead: A significant increase in overseas inventories puts pressure on prices [2][15] - Tin: Trades within a range [2][18] - Aluminum: Trades within a range; Alumina: Shifts downward; Cast aluminum alloy: Follows the trend of electrolytic aluminum [2][22] - Nickel: Narrow - range fluctuations based on fundamental logic, with caution for news - related risks [2][25] - Stainless steel: The steel price fluctuates due to the game between macro expectations and reality [2][25] 3. Summaries by Related Catalogs Gold and Silver - **Fundamental Data**: For gold, the closing prices of Shanghai Gold 2510, Gold T + D, and Comex Gold 2510 all declined, with daily declines of - 0.33%, - 0.31%, and - 0.57% respectively. For silver, the closing prices of Shanghai Silver 2510 and Silver T + D also decreased, with daily declines of - 0.77% and - 0.48% respectively. There were also changes in trading volume, positions, inventories, and spreads [5]. - **Trend Intensity**: Gold trend intensity is - 1, and silver trend intensity is - 1, indicating a bearish outlook [7]. Copper - **Fundamental Data**: The closing price of the Shanghai Copper main contract decreased by - 0.05%, and the London Copper 3M electronic disk decreased by - 0.69%. There were changes in trading volume, positions, inventories, and spreads [9]. - **Macro and Industry News**: The US Department of Commerce included 407 types of steel and aluminum derivative products in the tariff list. The meeting locations for the US, Russia, and Ukraine are being considered, and Trump mentioned that Ukraine may need to make territorial concessions. PT Smelting's oxygen - making equipment malfunction extended the maintenance period, and Codelco restarted the smelter at the El Teniente copper mine. Glencore applied to include two copper mine projects in Argentina in the investment incentive plan [9][11]. - **Trend Intensity**: Copper trend intensity is 0, indicating a neutral outlook [11]. Zinc - **Fundamental Data**: The closing price of the Shanghai Zinc main contract decreased by - 0.69%, and the London Zinc 3M electronic disk decreased by - 0.45%. There were changes in trading volume, positions, spreads, and inventories [12]. - **News**: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments aimed to standardize the photovoltaic industry competition order [13]. - **Trend Intensity**: Zinc trend intensity is - 1, indicating a bearish outlook [13]. Lead - **Fundamental Data**: The closing price of the Shanghai Lead main contract increased by 0.30%, and the London Lead 3M electronic disk decreased by - 0.03%. There were changes in trading volume, positions, spreads, and inventories [15]. - **News**: The US Department of Commerce included 407 types of steel and aluminum derivative products in the tariff list, and the meeting locations for the US, Russia, and Ukraine are being considered [16]. - **Trend Intensity**: Lead trend intensity is - 1, indicating a bearish outlook [16]. Tin - **Fundamental Data**: The closing price of the Shanghai Tin main contract increased by 0.40%, and the London Tin 3M electronic disk increased by 0.30%. There were changes in trading volume, positions, inventories, and spreads [19]. - **Macro and Industry News**: There were multiple news events including diplomatic meetings and corporate actions [19][20]. - **Trend Intensity**: Tin trend intensity is - 1, indicating a bearish outlook [21]. Aluminum, Alumina, and Cast Aluminum Alloy - **Fundamental Data**: The closing price of the Shanghai Aluminum main contract decreased, and there were changes in trading volume, positions, spreads, and inventories for aluminum, alumina, and cast aluminum alloy. There were also changes in related costs, profits, and prices in the industrial chain [22]. - **Comprehensive News**: The US Department of Commerce included 407 types of steel and aluminum derivative products in the tariff list [24]. - **Trend Intensity**: Aluminum trend intensity is 0, alumina trend intensity is - 1, and aluminum alloy trend intensity is 0 [24]. Nickel and Stainless Steel - **Fundamental Data**: There were changes in the closing prices, trading volumes, positions, and various industry - related data for nickel and stainless steel [25]. - **Macro and Industry News**: There were multiple news events related to the nickel and stainless - steel industries, including production suspensions, regulatory requirements, and government actions [25][26][27][28][29]. - **Trend Intensity**: Nickel trend intensity is 0, and stainless steel trend intensity is 0, indicating a neutral outlook [30].

Group 1 - SoftBank Group announced an investment of $2 billion in Intel, purchasing shares at $23 each, equivalent to approximately 143.69 billion RMB [1] - Discussions between SoftBank's founder Masayoshi Son and Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger have been ongoing since March, focusing on potential transactions related to Intel's underperforming chip manufacturing business [3] - Intel is seeking solutions for its advanced chip manufacturing business, which is currently struggling to compete with TSMC [3] Group 2 - The talks between SoftBank and Intel could lead to various outcomes, including joint ventures or minority stake investments, with the possibility of larger transactions in the future regarding Intel's wafer foundry business [3]

Group 1 - SoftBank's founder Masayoshi Son has held multiple meetings with Intel's new CEO Lip-Bu Tan to discuss potential acquisition of Intel's foundry business, highlighting SoftBank's ambitions in AI infrastructure [1][2] - Intel's foundry business has struggled since its opening to external customers in 2021, with high costs and financial difficulties leading to warnings from the new CEO about possibly exiting advanced chip manufacturing [2][3] - The U.S. government is exploring the possibility of investing in Intel, which could support SoftBank's further investments, reflecting a shift in perception towards Tan's leadership [3] Group 2 - The potential acquisition aligns with SoftBank's strategy to build a comprehensive AI infrastructure, which includes robotics, energy, and chip manufacturing, with existing investments in OpenAI and NVIDIA [4] - SoftBank has previously attempted to negotiate with Intel for AI chip production, but those plans fell through due to Intel's inability to meet SoftBank's requirements [4] - Despite a recent drop in SoftBank's stock price, the company has seen a year-to-date increase of over 75%, as investors anticipate returns from its portfolio companies and the rising valuation of OpenAI [4]

Group 1 - TSMC reported July revenue of NT$323.17 billion (approximately $10.81 billion), a year-on-year increase of 25.8% and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 22.5%, aligning with analysts' expectations for a 25% year-on-year growth in Q3 [1] - For the first seven months of the year, TSMC's cumulative sales reached NT$2.096 trillion (approximately $70.08 billion), reflecting a year-on-year growth of 37.6% [1] - TSMC raised its full-year revenue growth forecast to 30%, driven by strong demand in the HPC AI sector [2] Group 2 - In Q2 2025, TSMC's sales were NT$933.79 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 38.6% and a net profit of NT$398.27 billion, up 60.7% year-on-year [2] - The AI semiconductor market is experiencing robust demand, with expectations for increased computational and chip requirements due to the growth of AI models and tokens [2] - TSMC remains a key player in the smartphone semiconductor supply chain, which is showing signs of recovery [2] Group 3 - TSMC plans to invest $100 billion in advanced manufacturing in the U.S. over the next four years, in addition to a $65 billion investment in an advanced semiconductor manufacturing project in Phoenix, Arizona, bringing total U.S. investments to $165 billion [3] - The U.S. expansion project includes six advanced process factories, two advanced packaging factories, and a research center [3] - Analysts expect TSMC to receive exemptions or grace periods from U.S. semiconductor tariffs due to its investment commitments [3]

Core Viewpoint - The significant decline in stock prices for SMIC is attributed to disappointing Q2 earnings, revealing deeper issues within the Chinese semiconductor industry, including depreciation costs, tariff changes, and technological gaps [1][3]. Financial Performance - SMIC reported a revenue of $2.2 billion, but net profit plummeted by 19% year-on-year [3]. - Depreciation costs for the newly launched 12-inch fab reached 23 billion yuan in the first half of the year, equating to approximately 1.3 million yuan lost daily [3]. Market Dynamics - The potential imposition of a 100% tariff on chips by the U.S. has caused significant concern among SMIC's overseas clients, with management claiming the impact would be less than 10%, despite U.S. revenue accounting for 12.9% of total income [3]. - The company faces a severe reduction in orders from Huawei, reminiscent of the drastic loss of 100 billion yuan in market value following the U.S. supply chain disruptions [3]. Technological Challenges - SMIC is struggling with a significant technological gap, as TSMC has successfully ramped up production of 3nm chips while SMIC is still grappling with 14nm yield issues [3]. - The N+2 process has a 15% lower yield and 20% higher costs compared to competitors, leading to a loss of market share in AI chip orders [3]. Market Sentiment - The current market valuation of SMIC includes an estimated 50 billion yuan in "domestic substitution" premium, which may not be sustainable given the technological and operational challenges [4]. - The disparity in gross margins is stark, with TSMC achieving 58.8% while SMIC's margin stands at only 23.1% [4]. Strategic Insights - Investors are advised to monitor SMIC's Q3 gross margin closely, as a drop below 18% could signal a need to exit [5]. - The reliance on government policy over technological advancement is cautioned against, especially with delays in the N+2 process validation [5]. - The volatility of overseas orders, particularly in light of potential tariff increases, poses a significant risk to SMIC's stock performance [5]. Investment Opportunities - Key indicators for potential investment include the successful completion of capacity validation in Q3 and confirmed orders from Huawei's HiSilicon [7]. - Any operational setbacks at TSMC, such as labor strikes, could present a buying opportunity for SMIC [7].

Core Insights - The article discusses the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and its implications for investment opportunities in the market [3]. Company Developments - Elon Musk's AI startup xAI has appointed Lily Lim as the new legal head, replacing Robert Keele, who previously worked as a rocket scientist at NASA [5]. - German AI startup N8N has raised $2.3 billion in funding, led by Accel, with a significant increase in valuation from approximately $350 million in March [5]. - OpenAI has released a more powerful version of its AI model, GPT-5, which will be available to both free and paid users, marking a significant upgrade from previous models [5]. - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) reported July revenue of NT$323.2 billion (approximately $10.8 billion), a 26% year-over-year increase, indicating accelerated investment in the AI sector [5]. - Nvidia's stock price target has been raised by Goldman Sachs from $185 to $200, maintaining a "buy" rating ahead of its second-quarter earnings report [5][6]. Market Trends - Citic Securities reports that embodied models are the true driving force behind the current wave of robotics, with significant advancements in perception, planning, control capabilities, and task success rates, although further improvements are needed for industrial and home applications [9]. - Meta Platforms has partnered with Blue Owl and PIMCO to secure $29 billion in financing for data center projects, with $26 billion expected to come from debt financing and $3 billion from equity financing [11]. - This financing will support Meta's AI development, which has already generated significant revenue for the company [13]. - Other tech companies, such as Microsoft, are also collaborating with investment firms to fund AI data centers, with Microsoft raising $30 billion for potential investments in this area [13].

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company [1] Core Insights - The company offers a comprehensive chip system foundry service, with significant growth in module packaging business, which saw over 100% year-on-year revenue increase. The automotive power module revenue grew over 200% in the first half of 2025 due to deepening collaboration with end customers [4] - The company has established multiple production lines covering power semiconductors and signal chain foundry, continuously advancing in analog and control foundry services. The 12-inch silicon-based production line and 8-inch silicon carbide line are expected to enhance cost advantages and technological leadership, driving long-term growth in automotive, AI, high-end consumer, and industrial control sectors [5] - The company anticipates revenues of 8.04 billion, 10.01 billion, and 12.22 billion yuan for 2025, 2026, and 2027 respectively, with net profits projected to be -470 million, 136 million, and 310 million yuan for the same years [7][8] Company Overview - The latest closing price is 5.18 yuan, with a total market capitalization of 36.6 billion yuan and a circulating market value of 22.9 billion yuan. The company has a total share capital of 7.069 billion shares, with a debt-to-asset ratio of 41.7% [3]