Nomura Securities to Hold 'Tech Tour' in Seoul
Hanmi Semiconductor Corporate Briefing... Announcement on DeepSeek's Impact
TC Bonders Face Parallel Impact with HBM
Intensified Competition with Treasury Stock Acquisition and Patent Disputes
Our semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment (SoBuJang) companies are closely examining the current status of TC (Thermal Compression) bonders, which are considered to be within the reach of the 'DeepSeek shock,' and are brainstorming to establish future development, mass production directions, and countermeasures.
According to the industry, Nomura Securities Japan will hold a 'Tech Tour' at 2:30 PM on the 11th in Seoul. It is reported that all major SoBuJang companies in Korea will attend this event. Hanmi Semiconductor plans to hold a corporate briefing here, presenting trends in the HBM market following the launch of DeepSeek, as well as the roadmap for the release of next-generation HBM production bonders. SoBuJang companies are expected to review the future of TC bonders at this event.
TC bonders are equipment that thermally compress and bond chips one by one during the stacking process of DRAM used in HBM. This process is repeated 8 to 12 times to build up the layers. The product’s performance depends on how many layers can be stacked accurately and quickly.
After the Chinese AI startup 'DeepSeek' launched its AI platform 'DeepSeek R1' last month, the industry has analyzed that TC bonders will inevitably be affected, making it urgent for related companies to prepare countermeasures. DeepSeek’s R1 proved that it is possible to develop an AI chatbot comparable to ChatGPT at a low cost, causing a stir in the market. Subsequently, skepticism began to arise in the semiconductor industry about whether it is necessary to use expensive, high-performance products like HBM. TC bonders, which have developed alongside HBM as its performance improved through generations, now face an uncertain future. Analysts predict that if demand for expensive HBM decreases, the demand for TC bonders will also decline, making their future in the market uncertain.
As market outlooks darken, companies that have focused on producing TC bonders are becoming desperate, and competition is intensifying. The day before, Kwak Dong-shin, CEO and Chairman of Hanmi Semiconductor, acquired about 2 billion KRW worth of treasury shares to support the stock price. This treasury stock acquisition is believed to be a response to the stock price decline triggered by speculation within the industry that Hanwha Semitech (formerly Hanwha Precision Machinery) would receive the first large-scale order as an alternative supplier of Hanmi Semiconductor’s main product, the TC bonder. Despite recording its best performance since its founding in 1980, with annual sales of 558.9 billion KRW and operating profit of 255.4 billion KRW last year, this move is widely seen as influenced by the uncertainty of the TC bonder market. Additionally, Hanmi Semiconductor is engaged in a patent infringement lawsuit with Hanwha Semitech over TC bonder products. Hanwha Precision Machinery has long claimed that Hanmi Semiconductor infringed on its product patents and filed a lawsuit last year.
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