Summary of SEMICON West Conference Call Industry Overview - **Industry**: Semiconductor Capital Equipment - **Event**: SEMICON West Conference held in Arizona from October 7-9, 2025 - **General Sentiment**: The conference highlighted excitement about competition driving industry growth in Wafer Fabrication Equipment (WFE) and testing, but also a cautious outlook for December quarter earnings [1][2] Key Takeaways 1. **Memory Pricing vs Capex**: - Increased bullishness on memory WFE due to better pricing and stronger bit demand - Industry participants expressed skepticism about overly positive memory WFE outlook - Micron's FY26 capex guidance and Kioxia's Kitakami Fab2 operation start were cited as validations [2][2][2] 2. **Market Share Dynamics**: - Each company presented its own market share gain narrative, with notable mentions including TEL, SCREEN, AMAT, and Veeco/Axcelis - Anticipation of competition driving the industry forward [2][2] 3. **China Market Dynamics**: - New Chinese customers were significant for WFE in 2023-2024, but orders have slowed, particularly in mature logic - Leading-edge Chinese customers still show strength, with fierce competition noted in trailing-edge segments [2][2] 4. **Test Intensity**: - Teradyne and Advantest are competing for memory market share, with increased test insertions driven by a focus on yield and time to market - Expansion beyond mobile testing into new areas like HBM testing [2][2] 5. **Broader Growth Drivers**: - MKS and AEIS highlighted growth in segments outside semiconductors, particularly in PCB chemistry and data centers, benefiting from AI-related demand [2][2] Company-Specific Insights - **AEIS**: - Moderated WFE outlook due to softer trailing-edge logic demand but expects strong DRAM WFE market growth [6][6] - **Advantest**: - Focused on expanding offerings across the test value chain, leveraging AI for optimization [7][7] - **AMAT**: - Addressed concerns regarding China and GAA market share, emphasizing a timing issue for the $500 million miss in guidance [8][8] - **AMKR**: - Ground-breaking announcement for a new facility in Arizona with a $7 billion investment, aligned with TSMC [9][9] - **Lasertec**: - Noted growth in memory customers and increased inquiries from Chinese customers amid tighter restrictions [11][11] - **MKS**: - No indications of a significant ramp in memory demand, but optimistic about tool demand continuing to drive growth [12][12] - **SCREEN**: - Observed increasing cleaning intensity and cautious optimism for medium-term growth [13][13] - **Teradyne**: - Highlighted the importance of test coverage and announced new products to meet growing networking demands [14][15] - **Tokyo Electron (TEL)**: - Cautioned against over-optimism regarding memory prices and emphasized a focus on leading-edge customers [16][16] - **Veeco**: - Discussed the strategic merger with Axcelis to tackle AI-driven market demands [17][17] Additional Insights - **General Market Sentiment**: The conference underscored a cautious optimism regarding the semiconductor market, with varying dynamics in different segments and regions, particularly concerning China [2][2][2]