Integrated Services Technology Inc (IST, 宜特科技), the world’s largest semiconductor reliability test provider, yesterday said its net profit dipped about 22 percent during the first half of this year, due to the absence of an asset disposal gain that it had recorded in the same period last year.
Net profits dropped to NT$238 million (US$8.09 million), compared with NT$306 million in the same period last year, with earnings per share falling from NT$4.13 a year earlier to NT$3.2, the company said.
However, IST’s operating income jumped 21.43 percent to NT$210.35 million, compared with NT$173.23 million a year earlier, which it attributed to contributions from services related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-speed transmission applications.
Photo: CNA
Revenue expanded 10.04 percent year-on-year to NT$2.34 billion, while gross margin improved from 27.13 percent to 29.06 percent, driven by a favorable product portfolio and enhanced operational efficiency, it said.
IST expects revenue in the second half of this year to surpass the first half, citing growing demand for the company’s high-voltage, high-speed verification for AI applications and testing services for chips used in satellites.
IST is targeting double-digit percentage growth in revenue for the full year, it said.
The company booked a moderate foreign exchange loss for the first half of the year, amid the sharp appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar against the US dollar, but the risks remained manageable, IST said, adding that they used natural hedging strategies to minimize the impact.
IST did not disclose the amount of foreign exchange losses.
The company also said that it would tap into new material and reliability tests for the advanced packaging segment, copackaged optics, in collaboration with Enli Technology Co (光焱科技), as it aims to offer new-generation testing services for AI data centers.
Enli Technology focuses on supplying photonic integrated circuit testing equipment.
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