Chunghwa Precision Test Technology Co (CHPT, 中華精測) said that it would continue shipping products to Huawei Technologies Co (華為) for the next one to two years, as its client had designed advanced chips ahead of a US ban on technology sales to the Chinese firm.
Hisilicon Technologies Co (海思半導體), a chip designing arm of Huawei, should remain unscathed in the short term, as electronic design automation (EDA) software providers have only recently left China to comply with US regulations, CHPT president Scott Huang (黃水可) told reporters.
Shenzhen, China-based Hisilicon had used EDA tools to design the advanced chips, which would be launched in the next one to two years, Huang said on the sidelines of the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting on Thursday.
However, the EDA software suppliers’ departure might slow down Hisilicon’s progress in developing next-generation chips, Huang said.
Taoyuan-based CHPT, which provides probe card testing services to foundries and chip designers, counts Hisilicon among its major clients, which also include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) and Intel Corp.
For CHPT, Washington’s blacklisting of Huawei would “not have a significant effect [on its revenue] in the upcoming one or two quarters, as we have shipped all the tested load board printed circuit boards to Hisilicon for new chips that are set to hit the market soon,” Huang said.
However, Hisilicon might cut back orders, which could deal a blow to CHPT’s revenue in the fourth quarter, Huang said.
There is the possibility that CHPT might not be able to continue shipping products to Hisilicon if trade tensions between China and the US worsen and the technology ban spreads, Huang said.
The trade dispute would add extra pressure to CHPT’s revenue this year, as the company projected earlier this year that revenue would fall for the first time in its history, due to flagging smartphone demand worldwide.
CHPT’s revenue last month declined 33.2 percent annually to NT$210.46 million (US$6.7 million). That represented a slight increase of 0.99 percent from NT$208.38 million in April.
Revenue in the first five months of this year totaled NT$1.03 billion, plunging 24.93 percent from NT$1.37 billion in the same period last year.
CHPT shareholders on Thursday approved a cash dividend of NT$10 per share, representing a payout ratio of 45.79 based on last year’s earnings per share of NT$21.84.
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