Post-process semiconductor inspection equipment developer Exicon's stock is showing strong performance. The expectation that it will soon begin supplying the first domestically produced non-memory tester in Korea appears to be influencing the stock price.
At 10:32 a.m. on the 28th, Exicon was trading at 21,700 KRW, up 12.44% from the previous day.
Exicon has invested years in research and development to localize non-memory testers. It established a platform based on a universal tester and completed the development of camera image sensor (CIS) testing equipment last year. The company is preparing for mass production this year. As the next development, it is conducting R&D on a national project for a DDI (Display Drive IC) tester, focusing its capabilities on mass production targeted for next year. Once sales of CIS and display driver IC (DDI) testers begin in earnest, it is expected to secure a mid- to long-term growth foundation along with the formation of a high entry barrier following the first successful localization of non-memory testers.
With the start of mass production of non-memory testers, it is expected that sales diversification will occur not only with Samsung Electronics but also with OSAT companies. It is anticipated that sales will increase by replacing Japan's Advantest, which holds over 90% market share in Korea's non-memory semiconductor inspection equipment market.
On this day, a media outlet reported that Exicon is negotiating with semiconductor companies to supply complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor (CIS) testers among non-memory system-on-chip (SoC) testers.
Exicon passed mass production verification with a customer related to CMOS image sensors at the end of last year. The equipment is scheduled to be supplied as final quality inspection equipment in the production process of camera modules for mobile and automotive electronics. It is expected to grow rapidly as the first successful localization in the non-memory tester market, which has been entirely dependent on imports. Exicon's developed CIS tester is known to have competitive test speed and pricing compared to overseas equipment that had previously monopolized the domestic market.
Exicon has initiated fundraising through a paid-in capital increase. The funds will be invested in developing next-generation memory semiconductor inspection equipment and non-memory semiconductor equipment. Exicon is a company that develops test equipment for the post-process packaging stage, the final step among the eight core semiconductor processes. The company expects AI semiconductors, which were mainly installed in data centers, to be applied to personal devices such as smartphones and laptops. The funds will be used to develop test equipment capable of responding to new technologies such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and Compute Express Link (CXL).
Exicon's board of directors judged that to sustain growth, it is important to secure a leading supplier position in the AI memory semiconductor tester and non-memory semiconductor tester markets. CXL is a next-generation DRAM module combining DRAM and CPU, improving performance by reducing data transfer bandwidth and latency between memory and processor. Exicon is developing a CXL 2.0 tester.
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