Core Viewpoint - The year 2025 will be significant for Apple Inc. due to the success of its film "F1," which has become the highest-grossing theatrical film for the company, yet this success has not significantly impacted Apple’s stock price [1][2][3]. Group 1: Film Performance - "F1" has grossed $109.5 million domestically and $293.6 million worldwide within 10 days of release, ranking second at the domestic box office during the Fourth of July weekend [1]. - The film has surpassed the previous record held by "Napoleon," which grossed $221 million, and is on track to exceed totals from other Apple films like "Killers of the Flower Moon" ($158 million) and "Argylle" ($96 million) [2]. - Despite its box office success, "F1" has a production budget of $250 million and a marketing budget of $100 million, indicating it is far from breaking even [4]. Group 2: Impact on Apple’s Business - The success of "F1" has not led to a significant increase in Apple’s stock price, which is down 0.5% to $212.47, and has decreased 12.8% year-to-date in 2025 [10]. - Apple’s entertainment division, including AppleTV+, is crucial for the company, and while films have not yet been profitable, they help offset production costs and can lead to award nominations [5]. - The film's potential award nominations could enhance Apple's reputation in the film industry, with a 22% chance for Best Picture and a 12% chance for Best Actor for Brad Pitt [6]. Group 3: Streaming Strategy - The addition of "F1" to Apple TV+ could boost the platform's visibility, especially if timed with the launch of a rumored ad-supported streaming plan [7][8]. - Apple currently has approximately 45 million paid streaming subscribers, generating around $450 million per month, but the streaming platform is estimated to lose $1 billion annually [9]. - The debut of "F1" on Apple TV+ may be pivotal in moving the platform closer to profitability [10].

Summary of Conference Call Records Industry Overview - The conference call primarily discusses the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) industry, focusing on AI server demand and related materials such as copper foil and electronic cloth [1][2]. Key Points and Arguments AI Server Demand - The GB200 server has entered mass production, with an expected shipment of 20,000 to 25,000 cabinets this year. In the first half of the year, 12,000 cabinets were shipped, with a forecast of 13,000 cabinets for the second half. The price fluctuates between 35,000 to 40,000 yuan per square meter [1][3]. - The GB300 solution is set to adopt HDR high-layer designs, with sample shipments already sent out. Production is expected to start gradually in August, with an estimated shipment of 10,000 to 15,000 cabinets this year [1][5]. Supplier Landscape - Major suppliers for SVD high-layer boards include Huadian (40%), TTM (20%), Shenghong (20%), and Youde Maike (10%). The GB200 is expected to reach 25,000 cabinets this year and over 15,000 cabinets next year [2][4]. Material Challenges - The LDK third-generation quartz cloth faces challenges in drilling processes due to its high hardness, which complicates laser drilling and can lead to larger hole diameters and resin tearing. Improvements are needed in fiber cloth hardness and light absorption rates [1][6][7]. - New material development faces technical hurdles, particularly with Q cloth, which poses ion migration risks in small hole spacing designs. Solutions include optimizing product designs and collaboration between material suppliers and PCB manufacturers [1][8]. Equipment and Capacity - Core equipment, such as laser processing machines, has long lead times (12-15 months) due to high market demand, which limits capacity expansion. However, existing factories still maintain testing capabilities [2][9]. Market Trends - The domestic market shows increasing demand for high-end materials, with companies like Huawei leading the way. However, the overall impact has yet to be fully realized. Shengyi has captured the largest share in the BT storage substrate market and is collaborating with Huawei on advanced technologies [2][18]. - The iPhone-related server shipments are projected to reach 10 million units in 2025, with AR-related products accounting for 25%-30% of that volume. This percentage is expected to increase by 15-20 percentage points annually [2][12]. Future Outlook - The AR supply chain demand has exceeded expectations in the first half of 2025, while the smartphone and consumer electronics market saw a 20% decline in sales in the second quarter of 2025, leading to a drop in related substrate orders [2][17]. - Shengyi has opportunities to capture market share in the NV sector, leveraging its experience in high-layer substrates and connections within the NV supply chain [2][19]. Additional Important Information - The glass substrate solution is not yet fully defined, facing processing difficulties and yield issues when combined with ABF. Traditional organic substrates will continue to dominate in the short term [2][13]. - Domestic companies like Shengyi and Nanya are expanding their production capabilities, with Shengyi aiming to increase its market share in high-end materials [2][14][18].

Performance Forecast - The company expects a net profit attributable to shareholders of between 43 million to 63 million RMB, a decrease of 65.35% to 76.35% compared to the same period last year, which was 181.82 million RMB [1] - The expected net profit after deducting non-recurring gains and losses is projected to be between 37 million to 55 million RMB, down 64.73% to 76.27% from 155.95 million RMB in the previous year [1] - The basic earnings per share are estimated to be between 0.0377 RMB to 0.0552 RMB, compared to 0.1593 RMB in the same period last year [1] Reasons for Performance Change - The primary reason for the decline in net profit for the first half of 2025 is attributed to a significant decrease in the sales price of smart terminal products due to market competition, leading to a drop in operating revenue and gross margin compared to the previous year [1]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article is the introduction of Honor's new foldable smartphone Magic V5, which features the innovative Qinghai Lake blade battery with a capacity of 6100mAh [1] - The Qinghai Lake blade battery is characterized by its thinness, with a single cell thickness of 0.18mm, and a high silicon content of 25%, achieving an energy density of 901Wh/L [2] - The battery technology incorporates three major solid-state battery technologies: self-healing materials, stacked cells, and solid electrolytes [2] Group 2 - The first generation of the Qinghai Lake battery had a silicon content of 5%, which increased to 10% in the second generation, and the third generation features a silicon content of 25% [4] - Silicon-based anodes have significant advantages over traditional graphite materials, with a storage capacity over 11 times greater than that of graphite [4] - A major challenge with silicon materials is their expansion during charging, which can increase their volume up to three times, posing stability issues [5] Group 3 - Honor's R&D team has developed a solution to the expansion problem by creating a protective network at the molecular level, wrapping nano-sized silicon particles in a carbon-based framework to form an elastic composite structure [6] - This structure not only enhances energy storage capabilities but also allows the battery's single-layer membrane to be compressed to 0.18mm, showcasing the precise ratio of silicon elements [6]

6 July 2025 | 2:08PM HKT Desay SV (002920.SZ): Mgmt. visit: Smart driving continues to grow; full stack solutions to accelerate deployment We visited Desay SV in Huizhou recently. Management remains positive on the smart driving trend, domain controllers growth, full stack solutions, and ongoing costs control and operation efficiency. We are positive on Desay SV's product expansion from smart cockpit to smart driving and automotive software, supporting them to better ride on the growing smart driving trend ...

July 6, 2025 09:00 PM GMT Asia Sustainability | Asia Pacific Are Asset Owners Staying the Course? Amid uncertainty against the sustainability landscape, we believe asset owners - top of the investment value chain - are staying the course. We highlight 3 reasons why we are optimistic. M 1) Asian asset owners continue allocations on sustainability: Since 2024, several asset owners in the region have publicly announced the allocation of at least US $5.4bn in sustainability mandates to asset managers. Beyond sp ...

Investment Rating - The report initiates coverage on Huaqin Technology with a "Buy" rating and includes it on the APAC Conviction List [1]. Core Insights - Huaqin's target price is raised to Rmb94, with expectations for net income to grow at a 27% CAGR from 2024 to 2027, driven by an increase in AI server shipments [1]. - The contribution of AI servers to Huaqin's revenues is projected to rise from 14% in 2024 to 45% by 2027 [1]. - The company is diversifying from consumer electronics to data centers, capitalizing on stronger market demand and healthier competition [1]. Revenue and Growth Projections - Huaqin's blended revenues are expected to grow at a 29% CAGR from 2024 to 2028 [5]. - The data center business, which includes general servers, switches, and AI servers, is anticipated to see AI servers grow at a 73% CAGR from 2024 to 2028, followed by switches at 67% CAGR and general servers at 8% CAGR [6]. - Data center revenues are expected to increase from 21% in 2024 to 51% by 2028 [6]. Earnings Revisions - Revenue estimates for 2025-2028 have been revised upwards by 1%, 14%, 21%, and 29% respectively, primarily due to higher expectations for AI servers and switches [9]. - Despite a reduction in net income estimates by 12% to 0% for 2025-2028, the target price is raised by 14.9% due to a higher target P/E multiple [9][13]. - The new target P/E multiple is set at 18.8x, reflecting a positive outlook on earnings growth driven by the data center business [13]. Financial Metrics - The report outlines expected revenues of Rmb147.2 billion in 2025, Rmb208.4 billion in 2026, and Rmb253.2 billion in 2027 [21]. - The net income for 2025 is projected at Rmb3.89 billion, increasing to Rmb5.07 billion in 2026 and Rmb5.91 billion in 2027 [21]. - The gross margin is expected to decline from 9.4% in 2025 to 8.4% in 2028, while the operating margin is projected to decrease from 2.6% in 2025 to 2.5% in 2028 [10][18].

7 July 2025 | 7:45AM HKT GC Tech: Longcheer (603341.SS): Mgmt positive on AI PC and AI/AR glasses growth opportunities; expanding overseas business/capacity We attended Longcheer's (603341.SS, Not Covered) investor day and visited factories in HuiZhou recently. Longcheer is one of the leading smartphone/PC ODMs, expanding into AI/ AR glasses, automotive and other business. Overall, management is positive on the rising AI PC penetration rate and targets to penetrate more global-tier brand clients. Mgmt. also ...

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating on ZDT and raises the target price (TP) to NT$140 from NT$130, maintains a "Neutral" rating on Unimicron and NYPCB with TP raised to NT$97 and NT$110 respectively, and maintains a "Sell" rating on Kinsus with a new TP of NT$70 from NT$63 [8][21][31]. Core Insights - The increase in BT substrate prices in early Q3 2025, driven by T-glass and gold price hikes, is expected to improve revenue trends for substrate makers, particularly Kinsus and NYPCB, with BT revenue exposure projected to exceed 25% of total revenue in 2025 [2][3]. - The report anticipates a potential further pricing hike for high layer count ABF substrates in the coming months, which could enhance revenue and profitability outlook for substrate suppliers in the second half of 2025 [3][7]. - The T-glass shortage is expected to ease by the first half of 2026, which may stabilize pricing levels despite the current supply constraints [4][7]. Summary by Sections Pricing and Revenue Outlook - BT substrate prices have increased by 5%-20% in early Q3 2025 due to T-glass supply tightness and rising gold prices, which account for 30-40% of BT cost of goods sold (COGS) [1][2]. - The report expects improved profitability for BT substrates in the second half of 2025 compared to the first half, despite potential unfavorable gross margin and operating profit margin conditions due to material cost hikes and currency appreciation [2][3]. Company-Specific Earnings Revisions - Unimicron's 2025 earnings estimate has been cut by 25% due to unfavorable foreign exchange conditions, while revenue is expected to increase by 1% [17][19]. - NYPCB's earnings estimates for 2025, 2026, and 2027 have been revised up by 3%, 11%, and 7% respectively, reflecting a positive outlook on substrate pricing [23][25]. - Kinsus's 2025 earnings estimate has been reduced by 16% due to unfavorable FX conditions, but 2026 and 2027 estimates have been increased by 10% and 11% respectively [28][30]. - ZDT's earnings estimates for 2025, 2026, and 2027 have been revised down by 17%, 1%, and 1% respectively, primarily due to unfavorable FX conditions [33][35].

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for Lens Tech (300433.SZ) as it is categorized as "Not Covered" [1]. Core Insights - Management is optimistic about the demand for foldable phones, driven by differentiation, new use cases, and improved technology that enhances user experience [1][4]. - The company is diversifying its end markets beyond smartphones to include vehicle glass, AI glasses, and robotics, which supports long-term growth [1][8]. Summary by Sections Foldable Phones - Foldable phones are expected to drive significant growth, with management highlighting strong market demand and potential for increased shipments [4][7]. - The global shipment penetration rate for foldable phones is projected to rise from 1.5% in 2024 to 4.1% by 2027, excluding iPhones [2]. Vehicle Glass Expansion - Lens Tech is expanding into vehicle glasses, leveraging its experience in smartphone glass to provide high-precision and lighter-weight solutions for leading car OEMs [8]. - The company is collaborating with over 30 electric vehicle manufacturers, indicating a strategic move into the automotive sector [9]. Long-Term Outlook - Revenue growth in 2025 is anticipated to be bolstered by new smartphone model launches and the increasing trend of foldable phones [9]. - Contributions from vehicle glasses and AI/AR glasses are expected to ramp up over the long term, driven by rising popularity and affordability [9].