Taiwan-based GaAs IC foundries and epitaxial wafer suppliers are expected to enjoy a particularly strong first quarter of 2020, despite the coronavirus epidemic, according to industry sources.
Win Semiconductors has seen clear order visibility through the first half of April, with no substantial shifts in customer orders, the sources indicated. The GaAs foundry is set to see its first-quarter revenues come within the company's guidance given in February.
Win Semi saw its revenues climb to a record high of NT$6.9 billion (US$230.7 million) in the fourth quarter of 2019, with gross margin and operating margin also hitting record highs of 44.2% and 33.7%, respectively. Revenues for 2019 came to NT$21.4 billion, also an annual high.
Win Semi expects to post a 11-13% sequential decrease in first-quarter revenues, with gross margin ranging from 41% to 43%. Win Semi disclosed revenues for the first two months of 2020 surged 68.6% from a year earlier to NT$3.98 billion.
Fellow GaAs foundry Advanced Wireless Semiconductor (AWSC) has reported February revenues grew 0.8% sequentially to NT$272 million. The company's cumulative 2020 revenues through February hiked 161.8% from a year earlier to NT$542 million.
AWSC has reportedly entered the supply chain of Huawei through providing fabrication services for RF chips, power amplifiers and Wi-Fi related chips for use in Huawei's smartphones. AWSC has also obtained new orders for VCSEL chips from international vendors.
