Hanmi Semiconductor Reports Record Q2 Operating Profit of 130.3 Billion Won

Hanmi Semiconductor achieved its highest quarterly performance since its founding, driven by increased investments in artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. The surge in demand for TC bonders, essential equipment for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production, along with the ramp-up of investments in next-generation HBM4, has resulted in top-tier profitability in the global semiconductor equipment industry.

On July 14, Hanmi Semiconductor reported consolidated revenue of 251.1 billion won and an operating profit of 130.3 billion won for the second quarter of this year. Compared to the same period last year, revenue increased by 39.5%, while operating profit rose by 51.0%. The operating margin reached a record high of 51.9% for the quarter.

This performance was fueled by increased investments in HBM production facilities due to the expanding AI semiconductor market. Hanmi Semiconductor is currently the global leader in the TC bonder market, which is critical for HBM stacking processes. As global memory companies began mass production of HBM4 this year, the demand for new equipment surged, along with a corresponding increase in demand for MSVP (Micro Vision Placement) equipment.

Investments in HBM are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Major memory companies are preparing to start mass production of the next-generation HBM4E by the end of this year, which is likely to drive demand for next-generation TC bonders capable of handling 12-layer and 16-layer stacking.

Global memory firms are also ramping up their investments. Micron has acquired production facilities from Taiwan's AUO and PSMC to expand its HBM production capacity and is also increasing HBM packaging production facilities in Singapore, Idaho, and New York. Recently, it announced plans to raise its semiconductor investment in the U.S. from $200 billion to $250 billion, alongside packaging investments in Hiroshima, Japan.

Hanmi Semiconductor is also accelerating the development of next-generation products. The company plans to unveil a prototype of its second-generation hybrid bonder by the end of this year and launch a wide TC bonder in the first half of next year. The second-generation hybrid bonder is aimed at the HBM market, which is expected to gain momentum after 2029.

The company is also strengthening its focus on the AI system semiconductor packaging market. Hanmi Semiconductor is supplying 2.5D packaging equipment, including the '2.5D TC Bonder 40', 'FC Bonder 3.5', and 'FC Bonder 75', to global foundries and OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) companies. With the recent expansion of panel-level packaging (PLP) applications in AI semiconductor packaging, demand for related equipment is also on the rise.

A Hanmi Semiconductor official stated, "We are expanding our supply of 2.5D packaging equipment in line with changes in the AI semiconductor market and will continue to provide advanced equipment in a timely manner to sustain our growth in the evolving AI packaging market."