ASMPT (00522) has suffered a significant decline of more than 14%, trading at HK$139.5 as of the latest update, representing a drop of 13.68%, with a turnover of HK$368 million. Recent reports indicate that a Shanghai state-owned enterprise has begun producing domestic immersion DUV lithography machines, with plans to deliver approximately five units this year to major chipmakers like SMIC, Hua Hong Semiconductor, and CXMT. The company aims to ramp up production to around 20 units by 2027.
This news has dampened sentiment in the semiconductor equipment sector, as seen in the U.S. market overnight, where lithography giant ASML temporarily fell over 8% before closing down 5.8%. Notably, the five largest global semiconductor equipment manufacturers—Applied Materials, ASML, Lam Research, Tokyo Electron, and KLA—have extended their equipment delivery cycles by approximately 50% to 100% compared to earlier periods. Some equipment that previously took about six months to deliver now has lead times extending to around 12 months.
These delivery delays are posing a direct threat to the production plans of downstream wafer foundries, adding further uncertainty to the industry's outlook.
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