Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s top contract chipmaker, yesterday posted another record-breaking monthly revenue for last month, benefiting from growing demand for mobile devices, primarily smartphones.
TSMC’s revenue grew 5.7 percent to NT$55.09 billion (US$1.86 billion) last month, from July’s NT$52.1 billion, the company said in a statement.
EXPANSION
On annual basis, the figure represented an 11.2 percent increase from NT$49.54 billion.
Credit Suisse analyst Randy Abrams said he expected TSMC’s revenue to grow 4.7 percent this quarter, in line with the chipmaker’s forecast of between NT$161 billion and NT$164 billion, from NT$155.89 billion last quarter.
TSMC said growth in its communications segment would outstrip the computer and consumer segments this quarter.
SHIPMENTS
However, Abrams expected TSMC’s wafer shipments to decline by between 10 and 15 percent quarter-on-quarter in the October-to-December period on customers’ inventory correction and orders of 28-nanometer chips shifting to rival GlobalFoundries.
Abrams said in a report that “28nm [technology] is growing more mature and finally [customers will seek] more second sourcing.”
TSMC chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) told investors in July that a rise in stockpiles was an early indicator of a down period next quarter.
Local rival United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電) yesterday said its revenue slid 4.84 percent to NT$11 billion last month, compared with NT$11.56 billion in July, but rose 6.22 percent last month compared with NT$10.35 billion in August last year.
Separately, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (鴻海精密), a major assembler of Apple Inc’s iPhones and iPads, yesterday posted weak revenue for last month.
Revenue dropped 6.6 percent to NT$280.43 billion last month from July’s NT$300.25 billion. The figure was a year-on-year increase of 2.55 percent from NT$273.45 billion.
Fubon Securities (富邦證券) expected Hon Hai’s revenue to drop 2.14 percent this quarter to NT$876.75 billion from last quarter’s NT$895.62 billion, before staging a recovery next quarter.
NEW PRODUCTS
It said revenue would grow 6.78 percent next quarter to NT$936.15 billion after Apple starts shipping new products from this month.
Shares of TSMC and UMC rallied 1.46 percent and 2.88 percent to NT$104.5 and NT$12.5 respectively yesterday, while the TAIEX increased 0.2 percent.
Hon Hai shares were unchanged at NT$77.
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