Semiconductor material and failure analysis services provider Materials Analysis Technology Inc (MA-tek, 閎康) yesterday said silicon photonic-related analysis services revenue would jump 50 percent this year, fueled by a major technology shift to optics-based packaging solutions for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
MA-tek said analysis services for optical communications and AI chips are two major growth drivers this year.
The company’s confidence is built on strong growth in its silicon photonic-related analysis revenue, which has more than doubled each year over the past three years since 2023.
Photo: Lisa Wang, Taipei Times
Last year alone, services for silicon photonic-related analysis contributed more than NT$200 million (US$6.26 million) to MA-tek’s total revenue, chairwoman Hsieh Yong-fen (謝詠芬) told reporters in Taipei yesterday.
The growth momentum is to extend into this year at an annual rate of 50 percent and also through next year and 2028, Hsieh said. That means that the silicon photonics-related analysis revenue made this year to 2028 could more than double last year’s amount, Hsieh said.
MA-tek has seen explosive demand for material analysis for epi wafers, which are foundation substrates for laser chips used in silicon photonics solutions, Hsieh said.
However, demand remained low for failure analysis and reliability analysis for silicon photonics modules and systems, she said.
That indicated that silicon photonics technology is still in the research-and-development stage and would not replace copper cables for data transmission in AI servers by 2028, as some industry leaders have claimed, she said.
Overall, MA-tek expects this year to be a year with “robust” growth.
Revenue is expected to grow by a double-digit percentage this year from NT$554 million last year, she said.
The company has clinched 11.55 percent annual growth in revenue in the first two months totaling NT$886 million, data showed. MA-tek counts the world’s major foundry services providers, semiconductor equipment suppliers and material suppliers as its customers.
Geographically, Japan and the US would outpace other regions in terms of revenue this year, she said.
In Japan, the government is giving its financial backing to the development of 1.4-nanometer technology, which MA-tek provides chip material analysis services and would provide failure analysis services exclusively later this year, she said.
Japan is expected to have a greater revenue contribution of 20 percent this year than 15 percent last year, she said.
MA-tek operates three labs in Hokkaido, Kumamoto and Nagoya in Japan.
The US market also shows rapid growth this year as MA-tek has received orders to provide analysis services for chips used in data centers and autonomous vehicles, Hsieh said.
The company aimed to increase revenue contribution from the US to more than 10 percent this year, from 8 percent last year, she said.
MA-tek is looking at the feasibility of setting up US labs this year due to customers’ requests, Hsieh said.
The company has been resistant to operate a US lab due to expensive operational costs as the construction and labor costs in the US are several times higher than in Taiwan, she said.
The company saw net profits dip 40.84 percent year-over-year to NT$407 million last year from NT$688 million in 2024. Earnings per share dropped to NT$6.10 from NT$10.39.
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