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Magnachip Semiconductor Corporation announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2023.
YJ Kim, Magnachip’s Chief Executive Officer commented, “As we reflect on the past year and look ahead, we’re shaping our future with the transformation of our business. First, we have shifted our Display business to be laser-focused on the burgeoning OLED market in China and our efforts there are already showing promising results. We now have two design-wins and a dedicated team on the ground to help build on this momentum. Additionally, we are working to optimize our Gumi Fab to transition from lower-margin Transitional Foundry Services to higher-margin Power products. Finally, we’ve restructured our company to streamline operations, enhance shareholder value and increase transparency for our investors with the completion of our legal separation of historical Display and Power businesses into MSS and PAS.”
YJ continued, “Looking ahead, for full year 2024, we currently expect double-digit revenue growth in both the newly organized MSS and PAS businesses. We currently expect total consolidated company revenue for full year 2024 to remain relatively flat to slightly up due to the phase-out of Transitional Foundry Services. We also anticipate PAS gross margin to be challenged during the transition period while we convert the Transitional Foundry Services capacity to Power capacity, but we are committed to navigating this period with a clear focus on long-term value creation for shareholders.”
Financial Highlights
- Q4 revenue of $50.8 million was near the low-end of our guidance range.
- Q4 gross profit margin was 22.7%, near the low-end of our guidance range.
- Ended Q4 with no debt and cash of $158.1 million.
- Repurchased approximately $8.2 million of stock during the quarter.
- Full-year revenue of $230.1 million decreased 31.9% YoY.
- Full-year gross profit margin was 22.4%, down 760 bps YoY.
Operational Highlights
- Secured 1st design-win and began initial shipment in Q4 for first generation OLED DDIC for after-service market.
- Secured 2nd design-win following quarter close with leading Chinese smartphone OEM for spring launch.
- Entered into strategic commercial partnership with Chinese watch solution provider to collaborate on OLED smartwatch display market.
- Display and Power business separation and entity restructuring completed effective with the start of 2024; New businesses MSS (Mixed-Signal Solutions) and PAS (Power-Analog Solutions)
Original – Magnachip Semiconductor
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Navitas Semiconductor Corporation announced unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023.
“I am pleased to announce a record fourth quarter that caps off a year of more than doubling revenue for Navitas as we demonstrated strength across multiple markets,” said Gene Sheridan, CEO and co-founder. “While we are not immune to first half 2024 market headwinds, we see revenue growth accelerating in the second half based on our strong customer pipeline including major new wins in AI data centers, home appliances, solar inverters and a major satellite internet roll-out – all of which positions Navitas for strong growth in 2024 and beyond.”
4Q23 Financial Highlights
- Revenue: Total revenue grew to $26.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, a 111% increase from $12.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and a 19% increase from $22.0 million in the third quarter of 2023.
- Gross Margin: GAAP gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2023 was 42.2%, compared to 40.6% in the fourth quarter of 2022 and 32.3% for the third quarter of 2023. Non-GAAP gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2023 was 42.2% compared to 40.6% for the fourth quarter of 2022 and 42.1% for the third quarter of 2023.
- Loss from Operations: GAAP loss from operations for the quarter was $26.8 million, compared to a loss of $31.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2022 and a loss of $28.6 million for the third quarter of 2023. On a non-GAAP basis, loss from operations for the quarter was $9.7 million compared to a loss of $12.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2022 and a loss of $8.7 million for the third quarter of 2023.
- Cash: Cash and cash equivalents were $152.8 million as of December 31, 2023.
FY 2023 Financial Highlights
- Revenue: Total revenue grew to $79.5 million in 2023, a 109% increase from $37.9 million in 2022.
- Gross Margin: GAAP gross margin for 2023 was 39.1%, compared to 31.5% in 2022. Non-GAAP gross margin for 2023 was 41.8% compared to 40.8% for 2022.
- Loss from Operations: GAAP loss from operations for the year was $118.1 million, compared to a loss of $123.6 million for 2022. On a non-GAAP basis, loss from operations for the year was $40.3 million compared to a loss of $41.2 million for 2022.
Market, Customer and Technology Highlights:
- Electric Vehicle: Introduction of new GaNSafe technology plus new Gen-3 Fast silicon carbide is fueling demand for EV on-board and roadside chargers. SiC-based on-board chargers are in or moving to production this year with customers including top EV brands such as Zeekr, Volvo and Smart. Announced joint design center with Shinry – one of the top EV on-board charger suppliers for Hyundai, BYD, Honda, Geely and others.
- Solar/Energy Storage: Displacement of silicon with GaNSafe and Gen 3 Fast SiC technologies continued with significant developments in 3 of the top 5 US solar OEMs, and the majority of the world’s top 10 solar manufacturers. SiC is shipping into this market today and GaN adoption is expected to ramp in late 2024.
- Home Appliance / Industrial: Major new tier 1 home appliance win will drive additional revenues in late ‘24 – Navitas now engaged with 7 of the world’s top 10 home appliance OEMs. Customer designs are in process at 2 of the top 3 global leaders in industrial pumps and a top 3 global leader in heat pumps.
- Datacenter: New GaNSafe and Gen 3 Fast SiC and Navitas’ dedicated design center is now achieving an unprecedented 4.5 kW, more than double the power density of legacy silicon solutions, to deliver accelerating power demands of AI data centers. Over 20 customer designs are expected to ramp production in 2024.
- Mobile: Navitas now powers 5 newly released OPPO models and 8 newly released Xiaomi models with chargers ranging from 67 W to 120 W. Additional Samsung models now include powering the new Galaxy S24.
- Other New Markets: GaN ICs have been designed into the ground-based terminal for a major internet satellite implementation to ramp in 2H24.
Business Outlook
First quarter 2024 net revenues are expected to be $23 million plus or minus $500 thousand. Gross margin for the first quarter is expected to be 41% plus or minus 50 basis points and operating expenses, excluding stock-based compensation and amortization of intangible assets, are expected to be approximately $21.5 million in the first quarter of 2024. Weighted-average basic share count is expected to be approximately 180 million shares for the first quarter of 2024.
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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LATEST NEWS3 Min Read
JCET Group has recently confirmed that, following the approval of the capital increase for its subsidiary, JCET Automotive Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., the first round of RMB 1.551 billion was received on February 22nd. This supports the construction of JCET’s first intelligent and lean lighthouse factory for automotive chip advanced packaging.
The automotive industry demands increasingly sophisticated chip solutions. Dedicated production lines and zero-defect standards are quickly becoming essential prerequisites for achieving industry excellence. In response to evolving market dynamics and customer expectations, JCET is orchestrating unified planning and operations within its automotive electronics business, delivering comprehensive solutions across various applications in the sector.
To better cater to the needs of its global clientele, the JCET Automotive Chip Back-end Manufacturing Base was initiated in August 2023 in Lingang, Shanghai. Momentum has accelerated since then, and the infrastructure is now poised for comprehensive construction. Equipment entry is expected in the first half of 2025.
Leveraging JCET’s rich R&D capabilities and resources, the project also includes a pilot line dedicated to automotive chip manufacturing in China. It focuses on fully automated assembly and packaging solutions for processor chips used in future automotive core components, along with complete packaging solutions for power modules of new energy vehicle core components. Through innovative solutions, the pilot line lays a solid foundation for the project to become a flagship factory.
Simultaneously, JCET is meeting diverse customer demands by developing highly cost-competitive, environmentally friendly, and premium metal frames that comply with the stringent regulations for high-quality vehicles. The company has also implemented a fully traceable solution spanning the entire product process. The aforementioned pilot line has already obtained multiple national patents. In 2024, it is slated to complete the implementation and verification of existing innovations, continue collaboration with industry chain partners, and explore new materials and process solutions.
The JCET Automotive Chip Back-end Manufacturing Base will serve major domestic and international customers. The project is garnering significant interest from key players, including OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and IC suppliers. Strategic cooperation agreements have already been secured with several prominent partners.
JCET’s close collaboration with customers through the pilot line allows them to secure production capacity in the Lingang facility in advance. Doing so significantly streamlines the verification and introduction processes for future customer products, enabling a seamless transition from early development to mass production. This strategic move helps customers capture critical market share in the rapidly growing automotive semiconductor market.
Original – JCET
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LATEST NEWS2 Min Read
Okmetic is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its North American sales office. Okmetic Inc. was established in Allen, Texas in 1999 to strengthen Okmetic sales and technical support to the North American customer base. The Okmetic, Inc. office continues to be based in Allen, Texas with local commercial support across North America.
Initially, the business was focused on selected silicon products but has since expanded to support not only traditional semiconductor materials but also engineered products used for the Communication, RF filter, MEMS, Power, and AI just to highlight a few. The NA customer region, along with the European and Asian regions, work together using a balanced approach to serve the Okmetic worldwide market.
The team at Okmetic Inc. continues to be recognized for support efforts in the industry. Some of these include supplier award recognition, numerous conference speaking and exhibiting engagements, as well as a lifetime achievement recognition for company’s participation with organizations such as SEMI.
“We want to thank our customers for entrusting us to be a key component of their business growth strategy, inspiring us to continuously raise the bar and cooperatively develop silicon products that enable our lives each day. As we continue to expand our capacity to build for our future, we are excited to partner more closely with our customers to develop the needed products and support to enable their ongoing business needs “, says Jim Reed, President of Okmetic Inc.
Original – Okmetic
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Ideal Power Inc. reported the results for its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023.
“We made great progress delivering against our B-TRAN™ commercial roadmap in 2023 and that progress has continued into 2024,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power. “Strong momentum continues with participants in our test and evaluation program, particularly for solid-state circuit breaker and hybrid and electric vehicle applications. We expect to convert large OEMs into design wins and/or additional custom development agreements this year.”
Brdar continued, “We recently completed Phase II of our development agreement with Stellantis and commenced shipment of SymCool™ power modules to fulfill customer orders. We expect industrial markets, particularly the solid-state circuit breaker market served by our SymCool™ power module, to be the earliest source of our product sales ramp.”
Key Fourth Quarter and Recent Operational Highlights
- Commenced commercial shipment of SymCool™ power modules to fulfill customer orders. The SymCool™ power module targets several applications including solid-state switchgear and circuit protection, renewable energy inverters for solar and wind, industrial inverters, hybrid and electric vehicles (“EVs”) and EV charging.
- Successfully completed Phase II of a product development program with Stellantis, a top 10 global automaker. All Phase II deliverables were completed ahead of schedule including a wafer run and deliveries of tested B-TRAN™ devices, drivers and a Stellantis approved comprehensive reliability test plan for automotive qualification. Ideal Power is partnering with Stellantis’ advanced technology development team to develop a custom B-TRAN™ power module for use in EV drivetrain inverters in Stellantis’ next generation EV platform.
- Stellantis recognized Ideal Power and its program with Stellantis as a finalist in the 2023 Stellantis Venture Awards, which was the result of the excellent performance of the commercial B-TRAN™ devices provided to the Stellantis team for testing and evaluation.
- Released B-TRAN™ and SymCool™ videos and application notes for the technical audience at prospective customers, resulting in the addition of new opportunities to our sales funnel. The videos demonstrate the testing of discrete B-TRAN™ devices and SymCool™ power modules and the compelling advantages B-TRAN™ offers to solid-state circuit breaker applications.
- Nearing completion of a qualification run with our second high-volume wafer fabrication partner. This wafer fab in Europe will support future revenue growth and add dual sourcing for wafer fabrication.
- B-TRAN™ Patent Estate: Currently at 82 issued B-TRAN™ patents with 36 of those issued outside of the United States and 39 pending B-TRAN™ patents. Current geographic coverage includes North America, China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Europe, with pending coverage in Taiwan.
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results
- Commercial revenue increased to $61,483 in the fourth quarter of 2023 from $0 in the fourth quarter of 2022. Commercial revenue increased to $161,483 for the full year 2023 from $0 for the full year 2022.
- Grant revenue was $0 in the fourth quarter of 2023 and $37,388 for the full year 2023 compared to $16,608 in the fourth quarter of 2022 and $203,269 for the full year 2022.
- Operating expenses in the fourth quarter of 2023 were $2.5 million compared to $2.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 driven primarily by higher research and development spending.
- Operating expenses in the full year 2023 were $10.4 million compared to $7.3 million in the full year 2022 driven primarily by higher research and development spending and stock-based compensation expense.
- Net loss in the fourth quarter of 2023 was $2.4 million compared to $1.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. Net loss in the full year 2023 was $10.0 million compared to $7.2 million in the full year 2022.
- Cash used in operating, investing and financing activities in the fourth quarter of 2023 was $2.3 million compared to $2.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. Cash used in operating, investing and financing activities in the full year 2023 was $7.9 million compared to $6.8 million in the full year 2022.
- Cash and cash equivalents totaled $8.5 million at December 31, 2023.
- No long-term debt was outstanding at December 31, 2023.
2024 Milestones
For 2024, the Company has set or achieved the following milestones:
- Successfully completed Phase II of development program with Stellantis
- Secure Phase III of development program with Stellantis
- Complete qualification of second high-volume production fab
- Convert large OEMs in our test and evaluation program to design wins/custom development agreements
- Add distributors for SymCool™ products
- Initial sales of SymCool™ IQ intelligent power module
- Begin third-party automotive qualification testing
Original – Ideal Power
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Infineon Technologies AG is setting the course for ambitious growth by further strengthening and streamlining its sales organization. Starting 1 March, Infineon’s sales team will be structured around three customer-centric Sales Segments: “Automotive”, “Industrial & Infrastructure” and “Consumer, Computing & Communication”.
The DEM sales organization will retain responsibility for distributors and Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS). This new structure will further leverage the potential of Infineon’s comprehensive and diverse product portfolio by putting customers’ application needs at the center of the new organizational model. All of these organizations will be deployed globally with an optimized regional footprint.
“Customers’ expectations are quickly evolving and are driven by speed of innovation and faster time-to-market,” says Andreas Urschitz, Chief Marketing Officer of Infineon. “With a streamlined customer interface which brings the relevant products and application expertise to the customers’ doorstep, Infineon is ideally positioned to enable customers’ success.”
This simpler approach will give customers easier access to Infineon’s full portfolio and match their specific needs by offering complementary products from different divisions. In addition, this reorganization will reduce the number of interfaces for Infineon’s customers and help drive down time-to-market for their R&D projects enabled by Infineon semiconductors and solutions.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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LATEST NEWS4 Min Read
It’s noteworthy that WeEn had already won the prestigious Haier COSMOPlat Excellent Supplier Award two years ago. Winning the supplier award again demonstrates WeEn’s leadership position in the market as an outstanding semiconductor supplier.
Both parties are excited about each other’s innovative potential as they promote closer collaboration, further signaling that WeEn will deepen and solidify its robust partnership with Haier COSMOPlat to accelerate the future of digital transformation across their industries.
Dating back to the former NXP era, Haier COSMOPlat has been an important ecosystem partner for WeEn. In today’s uncertain environment, while joyful outcomes may be hard to come by, having a strong technical foundation as support provides both companies with more cooperation opportunities.
As Haier COSMOPIat pursues trends of domestic resource localization and diversification, WeEn has stood out with its high quality and stringent quality control standards. Its products not only meet COSMOPIat’s high demands for stability and reliability, but also receive strong endorsement from COSMOPIat’s customers for partnering with high-quality domestic suppliers to drive coordinated development. This positions WeEn well to capitalize on opportunities for business growth.
Since 2020, global semiconductor supply chains have been impacted, but WeEn has remained proactive in addressing challenges of upstream supply shortages. By adjusting strategic deployments ahead of time and continuously supporting Haier COSMOPIat’s supply needs, WeEn has further strengthened the partnership between the two companies.
Last year, both parties signed a strategic cooperation agreement at the Hannover Messe in Germany, establishing a strategic partnership based on mutual assistance and win-win cooperation. These initiatives comprehensively facilitate Haier COSMOPIat’s digital transformation, accelerating the upgrade of end-to-end competitiveness. Simultaneously, they lay a solid foundation for future collaboration between the two companies in new technologies and market domains.
The continued development of Haier COSMOPIat has brought new opportunities and challenges for both parties, especially in the areas of digital transformation and ecosystem empowerment. The business leader of Haier COSMOPIat stated, “WeEn is a leading player among Chinese power semiconductor suppliers, with extensive technological expertise and a global presence. Its products are characterized by high quality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. Thanks to WeEn’s unique position in the power semiconductor field, the range and diversity of products in the collaboration between the two parties continues to expand. The product line now spans from thyristors to power diodes, and further extends to TVS/ESD and silicon carbide product series. The level of cooperation is deepening continuously, showcasing the strong partnership between the two companies. In the future, we look forward to working hand in hand with WeEn to further explore the potential for cooperation and accelerate the digital transformation of the industry.”
Will Yin, Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing at WeEn, stated, “There is no doubt that digital transformation brings tremendous development potential to the power semiconductor industry.” WeEn looks forward to long-term cooperation with Haier COSMOPIat to embrace new opportunities and challenges brought by digitization, intelligence, and sustainability. Together, we will build diverse new development opportunities and jointly create new chapters of development in various fields. WeEn always stands at the forefront of industry development, leveraging a strong R&D and technical team to continuously strengthen the market sales and service team. This is to achieve steady growth in global business and contribute to industry transformation and innovation.
By the end of 2023, Haier COSMOPIat had established a new structure where the three business sectors of smart home controllers, diversified smart controllers across industries, and an industrial Internet platform in the electronics industry progressed simultaneously. COSMOPIat’s digital transformation has not only enhanced the agility of the supply chain but has also provided robust support for the industry’s digital transformation and upgrade through technological innovation and ecosystem empowerment.
In the future, WeEn will continue to focus on four major application areas: consumer electronics, renewable energy, big data, and automotive electronics. Leveraging its technological research and development strengths, WeEn will continue to expand investments in the power semiconductor field, actively increase production capacity, and grow together with its extensive customer base.
Original – WeEn Semiconductors