Core Insights - The demand for real-time access and high-speed processing of massive data is rapidly increasing due to AI inference applications [1] - The HDD market is facing a significant supply gap, prompting NAND Flash manufacturers to accelerate technological advancements and invest in the production of ultra-large capacity Nearline SSDs [1] - The uncertainty regarding future demand has been alleviated as suppliers respond to the growing needs for large-capacity storage products [1] Industry Summary - AI inference applications are driving the demand for high-capacity storage solutions, leading to increased activity among HDD and SSD suppliers [1] - The production focus is shifting towards ultra-large capacity SSDs, with specifications reaching 122TB and even 245TB [1] - The current market dynamics indicate a positive outlook for storage suppliers as they adapt to the evolving requirements of data processing and storage [1]

Industry Insights - The storage industry is experiencing a significant price increase due to a sudden shortage that began in late August, with expectations that this trend will continue [1] - Major manufacturers have ceased production of DDR4 memory, leading to a sustained supply gap and the highest price increases in the storage sector, particularly for DDR4 and DDR5 products [1] - NAND flash shortages are expected to persist into the first half of next year, driven by strong demand from cloud service providers [1] - HDD shortages are also becoming more severe, with anticipated price increases of 20%-30% for new products announced by Korean manufacturers [1] Company Developments - Micron Technology, Western Digital, and Seagate Technology saw pre-market stock increases of 4.88%, 5.12%, and 4.48% respectively, reflecting positive market sentiment in the storage sector [1] - With major players like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron exiting the DDR4 and LPDDR4X markets, there is an optimistic outlook for companies like Zhaoyi Innovation to increase their market share by 2025-2026 [2] - The price of DDR4 and LPDDR4X products is expected to rise significantly, with projections indicating a 40% increase in the first half of 2025 and a potential 75% year-over-year increase by the end of that year [2] - Companies such as Langke Technology and Dawi Co., Ltd. are involved in the production of various storage products, including SSDs and DRAM memory [3]

Core Viewpoint - The company is positioned as a leader in the domestic AI digitalization sector, acquiring Jintaike to enter the storage business, with expectations of exceeding performance growth due to a long-term boom in the storage chip industry and synergies from AI and energy businesses [1] Investment Highlights - Initial coverage with an "Overweight" rating, as the combination of storage chips, AI computing power, and energy is expected to drive growth, with the acquisition of Jintaike potentially opening up a growth curve in AI storage. If the acquisition is successful, projected revenues for the company's traditional business from 2025 to 2027 are estimated at 719 million, 953 million, and 1.191 billion yuan respectively, while Jintaike's revenues are expected to be 3.840 billion, 7.200 billion, and 10.000 billion yuan. The company is assigned a 175x PE for traditional business and an 80x PE for Jintaike's storage business, leading to a reasonable valuation of 20.223 billion yuan and a target price of 299.52 yuan per share [2] - Significant recovery in profitability in H1 2025, with R&D investments strengthening the technological moat. After a short-term performance pressure in 2024, H1 2025 revenue is expected to be approximately 160 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.99%, with a net profit of approximately 3.78 million yuan, a substantial increase of 123%, successfully turning a profit. The AI computing power and large model business performed exceptionally well, with 2024 revenue projected at 124 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 949.4% [2] AI Computing Power and Digital Energy Product System - The company has established a product system for AI computing power and digital energy, with government and content security solidifying its industry implementation capabilities. In 2024, digital energy revenue is expected to reach 305 million yuan, accounting for 49.3% of total revenue, while AI computing power and large model revenue is projected at 124 million yuan, making up 20.0% of total revenue. The company signed contracts for the Western Computing Center project early in 2024, with products like "KAIWU" industry large models and integrated machines being delivered in multiple locations. The virtual power plant smart control platform is operational at various administrative levels, and a technology research center has been established in collaboration with North China Electric Power University. The AI content security service "Jiumozhi" continues to serve central ministries and large enterprise clients [3] Acquisition of Jintaike and Storage Business - The acquisition of Jintaike aims to enhance AI storage capabilities, providing both scale and profit elasticity. Jintaike's storage business is projected to achieve revenues of 2.366 billion yuan and a net profit of 136 million yuan in 2024, with advantages in enterprise-level DDR4 and domestic DDR5 products, serving clients like Lenovo, Tongfang, and Haier. Major storage giants such as Samsung, Hynix, and Micron are expected to initiate production cuts starting at the end of 2024, with a 10%-15% capacity reduction planned for the first half of 2025, gradually phasing out older products. Demand from data centers and AI server enterprises is becoming dominant, driving both an increase in storage volume and quality, with significant enhancements in memory capacity and performance requirements. The demand for DDR5 and enterprise-level SSDs is expected to sustain long-term growth, with old products being phased out and high-end capacity becoming scarce, indicating a potential increase in both volume and price for the company's storage business orders [4]

Core Insights - Strong earnings, interest-rate cuts, and market optimism have contributed to an unusually strong September, with the S&P 500 nearing record highs [1] - The performance of the index is significantly influenced by major companies, particularly in the technology and storage sectors [2] Company Performance - Western Digital (WDC) has emerged as the S&P 500's second-best-performing stock, with a remarkable 87.6% increase in Q3, leading to a year-to-date return of 168.46% [3] - The growth of Western Digital is largely attributed to data-center buildouts, with revenue for fiscal 2025 reaching $9.52 billion, reflecting a 51% increase, and a forecasted 22% growth for the upcoming quarter [4] - Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) experienced a significant rise of 70.42% in Q3, driven by plans to separate its legacy and streaming media platforms [5] - Seagate Technology (STX) also benefited from similar market conditions, achieving a 63.6% increase in Q3 [7]

Group 1 - Sandisk Corp. (NASDAQ:SNDK) has seen significant stock performance, reaching a record high of $114 before closing at $113.50, reflecting a 16.87% increase in one day [2][3] - Citigroup has maintained a "buy" recommendation for Sandisk, with a price target of $125, indicating a potential upside of 9.6% from the latest closing price [2][3] - Sandisk is set to launch new storage solutions for ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds on October 16, including a microSD card and an SSD, which are currently available for pre-order [3][4] Group 2 - The new microSD cards will be available in various sizes: 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB, while the SSD will offer a capacity of 4 TB [4] - The company highlights the increasing demand for high-performing storage solutions due to the growing sizes of games and game libraries [4]

Market Overview - The market is perceived to have a supportive base, with expectations of potential interest rate cuts, which is reflected in current pricing [2][3] - Pullbacks in the market are seen as buying opportunities until a significant change occurs [3] Company Analysis: SanDisk - SanDisk has received increasingly bullish coverage from analysts following its spin-off from Western Digital [3][4] - The stock has risen over 15% recently, indicating strong market sentiment [4] - Technical analysis shows a bullish flag pattern, with a breakout currently in progress [6][7] - Key price levels to watch include a gap level around 96 and potential upside near 112.57 [9][10] Company Analysis: Applied Optoelectronics - Applied Optoelectronics is considered undervalued and is in a favorable market space [12] - The 20-day simple moving average is at 26.70, which is a critical level for potential entry [12] - Technical indicators suggest a resistance zone between 29 and 30.64, with a potential breakout being monitored [15][16] - The stock is currently trading just above 26, with upward trends noted in price action [17] Company Analysis: Carvana - Carvana shares have increased by 128% over the last 12 months, showcasing significant volatility [20] - The stock is currently experiencing a momentum swing breakout, with a critical resistance level around 397 [21][27] - Historical price action indicates a rising wedge pattern, with potential upside if it breaks above 390 [24][25] - Key support levels to watch include around 355 and 340, which could provide buying opportunities during pullbacks [26][28]

Core Insights - The report from Tianfeng Securities highlights the emergence of "storage-based computing" as a disruptive technological paradigm to overcome computing bottlenecks and storage limitations [1] - This technology shifts vector data (such as KVCache) from expensive DRAM and HBM memory to large-capacity, cost-effective SSDs, representing a strategic expansion of the storage layer rather than a simple replacement [1] - The core value of this approach lies in significantly reducing token latency, enhancing inference throughput, and optimizing end-to-end inference costs, providing a feasible path for large-scale AI deployment [1] - The AI storage revolution is underway, with "storage-based computing" creating core opportunities that substantially reduce computing power consumption and accelerate AI inference, leading to a demand growth for SSDs that exceeds traditional growth curves [1]

Core Viewpoint - The "storage instead of computing" paradigm emerges as a disruptive technology to overcome computing bottlenecks and storage limitations in AI inference, significantly reducing latency and costs while enhancing throughput [1][2]. Development Background - AI inference has become a key measure of the commercial value of large models, facing challenges such as slow processing and high costs. The "storage instead of computing" technology addresses these issues by migrating vector data from expensive DRAM and HBM to cost-effective SSDs, enabling strategic expansion of storage layers [1]. Core Technology - The "storage instead of computing" Cached Attention technology caches historical KVCache data across HBM, DRAM, and SSD, achieving an 87% reduction in first token latency and a 7.8-fold increase in prefill throughput, leading to a 70% decrease in end-to-end inference costs [2]. Hardware Breakthroughs - Under the "storage instead of computing" paradigm, SSDs evolve from mere data storage to core components in AI inference, requiring high capacity, throughput, and low latency. The AISSD technology will develop in three directions: transitioning to QLC particles, adopting PCIe 5.0/6.0 interfaces with NVMe protocols, and upgrading functionalities towards intelligent solutions [4]. Industry Layout - Major industry players are actively engaging in the core practices of "storage instead of computing," with companies like Huawei and Inspur optimizing storage architectures and cache management for efficient AI inference [5][6]. International Developments - Global giants such as Kioxia, Micron, and Solidigm are pushing for technological iterations and product innovations in AISSD, with QLC+PCIe/NVMe+CXL expected to form the foundation for the next generation of AISSD, transforming SSDs into long-term memory carriers for AI inference [10]. Investment Recommendations - The AI storage revolution is underway, with "storage instead of computing" creating significant opportunities. Companies in storage module manufacturing, storage chips, and distribution/testing are recommended for attention, including Jiangbolong, Demingli, and Zhaoyi Innovation [10].

Core Viewpoint - Seagate Technology's shares have surged 11.8% this week, driven by increased demand for storage solutions due to advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing, leading to several analyst upgrades [1][2]. Group 1: Analyst Upgrades and Market Response - Bank of America raised its price target for Seagate from $170 to $215, maintaining a "buy" rating based on a positive outlook for AI spending [5]. - Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh increased his target for Seagate from $160 to $245, following strong demand and rising prices for hard disk drives and NAND flash [5]. - Seagate's stock has increased by 155.4% year-to-date, outperforming many other popular AI stocks [7]. Group 2: Market Trends and Infrastructure Changes - The recent rise in AI and semiconductor stocks is attributed to Oracle's positive AI guidance and the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut, which is expected to lower capital costs and encourage tech spending on AI infrastructure [2][3]. - The shift in AI infrastructure focus from training generative models to inferencing is driving new investments in edge storage, where Seagate's HAMR technology is a leader [4]. Group 3: Industry Cyclicality - The memory and storage industry is characterized by cyclical trends, currently in a "boom" phase, with the duration of this phase dependent on the AI infrastructure build-out timeline [8]. - Investors should remain cautious as macroeconomic fluctuations or declining demand for AI services could lead to significant market pullbacks [8].

Investment Rating - The report assigns a "Buy" rating for the company, marking its first coverage [7]. Core Insights - The company aims to become a comprehensive AI service provider by integrating software and hardware through the acquisition of Jintai Storage, enhancing its capabilities in AI computing and applications [4][5]. - The company’s revenue for 2024 is projected to be 620 million yuan, with a year-on-year decrease of 11%, while the net profit is expected to be 20.59 million yuan, down 50% from the previous year, primarily due to increased equity payment expenses [2][5]. - The company’s three main business segments are AI large models and computing, AI industry applications, and AI content security, with expected revenue contributions of 20%, 64%, and 15% respectively in 2024 [2][3]. Summary by Sections Business Overview - The company focuses on a full-stack AI strategy encompassing AI computing, intelligent agents, and smart applications, providing integrated solutions across various sectors including media, government, energy, and education [15][17]. - The company has developed proprietary products such as the "KAIWEN" AI large model and "KAIWEN Magic Box" edge AI integrated machine, which combine computing power and industry applications [2][19]. Acquisition of Jintai Storage - The company plans to acquire 100% equity of Jintai Storage, a leading domestic storage module manufacturer, to enhance its AI integrated solutions [4][5]. - Jintai's market share in global SSD and DRAM modules ranks fourth, and the acquisition is expected to significantly boost the company's market position and capabilities [4]. Financial Projections and Valuation - The company’s estimated market value post-acquisition is projected to be 20 billion yuan, with a reasonable market value of 6.2 billion yuan for 2025 [5]. - Revenue forecasts for 2025-2027 are 720 million, 800 million, and 890 million yuan, reflecting year-on-year growth rates of 16%, 11%, and 12% respectively [5]. Market Trends - The AI large model and computing market is expected to experience explosive growth, with the general computing market in China projected to reach 140.1 EFLOPS by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.8% [42]. - The data element market in China is also expanding rapidly, with a projected market size of 196.8 billion yuan by 2025, driven by policy support and technological advancements [46]. Competitive Position - The company has established a strong foothold in the digital government sector, serving over 2,100 government clients and covering more than 80% of provincial governments [62][63]. - The company’s AI content security product "Jiumozhi" has been deployed for comprehensive risk control in large model applications, enhancing its competitive edge in the market [67].