Core Viewpoint - The semiconductor industry is experiencing a significant price increase across both mature and advanced processes, driven by structural supply-demand imbalances and rising costs, particularly influenced by the AI industry's growth [2][4][5]. Group 1: Price Increases - SMIC has officially notified downstream customers of a price increase of approximately 10% for 8-inch BCD process foundry services, with multiple chip companies confirming receipt of this notice [2]. - Taiwan's World Advanced Semiconductor has followed suit with a similar 10% price increase for the same process, indicating a clear industry-wide trend [2]. - TSMC plans to implement a series of price increases for advanced processes below 5nm starting January 2026, with an average increase of 3%-5% over four years [2]. Group 2: Supply-Demand Dynamics - The current price surge is attributed to a long-term structural imbalance between supply and demand, with explosive growth in demand, particularly from the AI sector, being a key driver [4]. - The demand for power management chips in AI servers has surged, leading to a critical shortage of related production capacity, particularly for BCD processes [4]. - TrendForce's research indicates that by the second half of 2025, driven by AI demand, wafer foundries' capacity utilization rates are expected to remain higher than previously anticipated, with some manufacturers performing better in Q4 than in Q3 [4]. Group 3: Supply Constraints - TSMC is actively reducing its 8-inch mature process capacity to focus on high-value advanced processes, planning to shut down some production lines by the end of 2027, which exacerbates the supply constraints in the mature process segment [5]. - Domestic foundries are operating at full capacity, with SMIC achieving a capacity utilization rate of 95.8% and a monthly output of over 1 million 8-inch wafers [5]. - Huahong Semiconductor's capacity utilization rate has reached 109.5%, indicating an overworked state, which provides a strong basis for price increases [5]. Group 4: Cost Pressures - The cost of raw materials, particularly metals like gold and copper, remains high, with leading silicon wafer companies raising prices by an average of 12% in late December, directly increasing wafer manufacturing costs [5]. - Rising energy and labor costs further compress profit margins for foundries, making price increases a necessary response to maintain profitability [5].

Core Viewpoint - The company reported better-than-expected gross margins for Q2 2025, driven by increased wafer shipments and a recovery in downstream demand [1][2]. Financial Performance - Q2 2025 revenue reached $566 million, a year-over-year increase of 18.3% and a quarter-over-quarter increase of 4.6%, aligning with the company's guidance of $550-570 million [1]. - The gross margin for Q2 2025 was 10.9%, exceeding the company's guidance of 7-9% and market expectations of 8.3%, with a year-over-year increase of 0.4 percentage points and a quarter-over-quarter increase of 1.7 percentage points [2]. - Net profit attributable to the parent company was $7.95 million, falling short of the market expectation of $12.77 million, primarily due to rising R&D expenses and depreciation [2]. Market Dynamics - Downstream demand showed moderate recovery, with revenue from the consumer electronics sector increasing by 19.8% year-over-year, accounting for 63.1% of total revenue, and industrial and automotive revenue increasing by 16.7%, accounting for 22.8% [2]. - The company has initiated a price increase for certain products starting in Q2 2025, primarily focused on ICs and the 12-inch platform, with expected effects to materialize in Q3 and Q4 2025 [2]. Capacity and Production - The company maintained a high capacity utilization rate of 108.3% in Q2 2025, a year-over-year increase of 10.4 percentage points and a quarter-over-quarter increase of 5.6 percentage points, driven by recovering downstream demand [3]. - Q2 2025 wafer shipments totaled 1.31 million 8-inch equivalent wafers, representing a year-over-year increase of 18% and a quarter-over-quarter increase of 6% [3]. - The company plans to continue investing in Fab 9, with capital expenditures of $408 million in Q2 2025, of which $376 million was allocated to Fab 9 [3]. Future Outlook - The company provided a positive revenue and gross margin guidance for Q3 2025, expecting revenue between $620-640 million, which corresponds to a year-over-year increase of 19.7% and a quarter-over-quarter increase of 11.3% [3]. - The gross margin guidance for Q3 2025 is set at 10-12%, with a midpoint indicating a year-over-year decrease of 1.2 percentage points but a quarter-over-quarter increase of 0.1 percentage points [3]. - The company anticipates continued revenue growth in the second half of 2025, supported by the release of 12-inch capacity and strong demand for BCD products [3].