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Chips & Networking

GPUs, memory, foundry, packaging, optics

Lithography, chip equipment, foundry, AI memory (HBM), packaging, lasers and optics decide how many AI chips actually ship.

How many useful AI accelerators can the supply chain actually ship?

Themes
19
Stocks
89
1M index
−19.9%
% in uptrend
4%

Chips & Networking index vs S&P 500

Equal-weight, rebased to 100 · 1Y
Bottlenecks

19 bottlenecks in Chips & Networking

Sorted by tightness score. Click through for supply chain, dimension scores, names and falsifier.

Korea / US ▲ Tightening

AI Memory (HBM & DRAM)

88

Three suppliers make essentially all HBM. Each HBM bit consumes several times the wafer area of standard DRAM, crowding out conventional supply.

Lead time12–18 mo
1M−18.8%
YTD+138.9%
Taiwan / US / Korea ▲ Tightening

Leading-Edge Chipmaking (Foundry)

84

One company produces almost all leading-edge AI logic. N3/N2 capacity is allocated years ahead and every new fab is a multi-year, tens-of-billions bet…

Lead time24–36 mo
1M−24.4%
YTD+67.5%
US / Japan / UK ▲ Tightening

Laser Chips for Optics (InP)

82

The scarce part of an 800G/1.6T link is often the laser — EML and CW lasers grown on indium-phosphide wafers that few fabs can make at volume.

Lead time12–24 mo
1M−29.1%
YTD+241.9%
Taiwan / US / NL ■ Stable

Chip Packaging (CoWoS)

80

An accelerator is useless until logic and HBM are integrated on an interposer. 2.5D/3D capacity, hybrid bonders and TC bonders gate output.

Lead time12–18 mo
1M−18.2%
YTD+41.1%
Netherlands / Japan ■ Stable

Lithography Machines (EUV)

78

EUV is a single-vendor tool with a single-vendor optics chain. Mask inspection and photoresist are similarly concentrated in a handful of Japanese fir…

Lead time18–24 mo
1M−7.2%
YTD+34.1%
China / US / Thailand ▲ Tightening

Optical Transceivers (800G / 1.6T)

76

Cluster scale pushes past copper. 800G→1.6T pluggables ramp now; co-packaged optics shift value toward the switch and laser.

Lead time6–12 mo
1M−32.7%
YTD+29.1%
US / UK ■ Stable

AI Chips (GPUs & Custom ASICs)

72

Deployable AI compute tracks the minimum of logic, HBM and packaging. Merchant GPUs and hyperscaler ASICs compete for the same upstream capacity.

Lead time6–12 mo
1M−19.7%
YTD+69.3%
US / Japan / Korea ▲ Tightening

AI Storage (Enterprise SSD & HDD)

72

AI training data and inference logs need exabytes of storage. Two companies make nearly all hard drives and a few make NAND, so supply is slow to foll…

Lead time6–12 mo
1M−28.5%
YTD+229.9%
Japan / US ▲ Tightening

Chip Testing & Burn-in

70

Bigger dies, more chiplets and HBM stacks multiply test time. SoC and memory testers become a quiet throughput gate for every accelerator shipped.

Lead time6–12 mo
1M−29.4%
YTD+93.4%
Taiwan / China / US ▲ Tightening

AI PCBs & Laminates (CCL)

70

AI accelerator boards and switch trays need high-layer, low-loss PCBs and copper-clad laminate. Few makers qualify, and layer counts rise every genera…

Lead time6–12 mo
1M−13.1%
YTD+131.6%
US / Japan ▲ Tightening

Fiber, Cable & Connectors

68

AI halls use many times the fiber of a conventional data centre. High-density fiber and connectors became capacity-constrained alongside optics.

Lead time6–12 mo
1M−19.8%
YTD+27.4%
US / Japan / EU ■ Stable

Chip Equipment (Deposition, Etch, Inspection)

66

Gate-all-around transistors, backside power and HBM stacking add process steps. More steps per wafer means more tool spend per unit of capacity.

Lead time9–18 mo
1M−24.3%
YTD+30.2%
US / EU / Taiwan ▲ Tightening

800V Rack Power (Power Shelves & PSUs)

66

100kW+ racks force 800V DC architectures, GaN/SiC conversion and new power shelves. Power density per rack is now a design constraint.

Lead time6–12 mo
1M−20.9%
YTD+40.8%
Japan / Taiwan ▲ Tightening

Chip Substrates (ABF & Glass)

64

Large AI packages need big, many-layer ABF substrates. The build-up film itself comes from one supplier; glass-core substrates are the next transition…

Lead time12–24 mo
1M−11.4%
YTD+237.6%
US ■ Stable

AI Networking (Switches & Retimers)

62

Every additional GPU in a training domain multiplies switch ports and retimers. Ethernet vs proprietary fabrics decides who captures it.

Lead time6–9 mo
1M−15.5%
YTD+22.0%
Japan / Korea / Taiwan ▲ Tightening

MLCC & Passive Components

62

An AI server board uses many times the capacitors of a normal server, and the high-capacitance, high-temperature parts come mainly from Murata and Sam…

Lead time3–6 mo
1M−7.5%
YTD+162.9%
EU / US / Japan ■ Stable

800V Power Semis (SiC & GaN)

54

800V DC racks need silicon-carbide and gallium-nitride switches at every conversion step. Capacity is ample after the EV slowdown, so the constraint i…

Lead time6–12 mo
1M−18.4%
YTD+42.4%
Taiwan / US ■ Stable

AI Server Racks (Taiwan ODMs)

52

Rack-scale systems are integrated by a few Taiwanese ODMs. Execution and liquid-cooling readiness matter more than raw capacity.

Lead time3–6 mo
1M−13.4%
YTD+50.2%
Japan / Taiwan / US ▼ Easing

Silicon Wafers & Chemicals

48

Prime wafers and ultra-pure chemicals are concentrated, but capacity is ahead of non-AI demand. A latent rather than active constraint.

Lead time6–12 mo
1M−13.0%
YTD+64.2%
Stocks

Every stock in Chips & Networking

Sorted by 1-month performance. Roles, not recommendations.

NameRoleRegionLast1D1MYTDOff highTrend
2492.TW
Walsin Technology
MLCCs and passives Taiwan NT$381.0 −9.93% +26.2% +227.4% −37.9%
6857.T
Advantest
SoC and memory testers for AI accelerators and HBM Japan ¥34,860 −5.86% +1.8% +78.0% −16.7%
4063.T
Shin-Etsu Chemical
Silicon wafers and photoresists Japan ¥5,966.0 −0.73% +0.3% +23.9% −23.3%
2802.T
Ajinomoto
Sole major supplier of ABF build-up film Japan ¥5,118.0 −0.39% +0.1% +55.9% −16.7%
3231.TW
Wistron
GPU baseboard and server ODM Taiwan NT$183.5 −2.65% −1.1% +26.4% −7.3%
2317.TW
Hon Hai (Foxconn)
Largest AI rack integrator Taiwan NT$245.5 −1.01% −2.0% +9.7% −18.2%
4958.TW
Zhen Ding Technology
PCBs and substrates Taiwan NT$486.0 −6.54% −2.5% +244.6% −24.8%
ENTG
Entegris
Ultra-pure chemicals, filtration and materials US $154.4 −3.51% −2.5% +83.8% −16.0%
CSCO
Cisco Systems
Switching and silicon for AI networks US $104.5 −3.76% −3.5% +38.2% −19.0%
2383.TW
Elite Material
Low-loss copper-clad laminate for AI boards Taiwan NT$4,675.0 −6.69% −5.0% +185.5% −26.0%
AVGO
Broadcom
Custom ASICs and Ethernet switch silicon for hyperscaler clusters US $326.1 −5.48% −5.1% −5.3% −32.1%
2382.TW
Quanta Computer
Hyperscaler server ODM Taiwan NT$318.0 0.00% −5.5% +21.9% −20.5%
8046.TW
Nan Ya PCB
ABF substrates Taiwan NT$1,190.0 −4.80% −6.3% +394.8% −20.9%
APH
Amphenol
Connectors and interconnect for AI racks US $79.30 −3.39% −7.4% +17.9% −10.5%
4186.T
Tokyo Ohka Kogyo
Photoresists for EUV and advanced nodes Japan ¥7,959.0 −6.31% −7.6% +37.6% −31.3%
6976.T
Taiyo Yuden
MLCCs and inductors Japan ¥8,553.0 −7.34% −8.3% +145.5% −62.1%
6920.T
Lasertec
EUV mask blank and mask inspection Japan ¥37,700 −8.81% −8.3% +27.7% −34.2%
2327.TW
Yageo
Capacitors and resistors (incl. KEMET) Taiwan NT$502.0 −7.55% −8.4% +118.9% −56.0%
2368.TW
Gold Circuit Electronics
High-layer PCBs for AI servers and switches Taiwan NT$1,020.0 −8.52% −8.9% +49.5% −31.3%
ON
onsemi
SiC power and image sensors US $71.67 −4.74% −10.5% +32.4% −46.5%
MPWR
Monolithic Power Systems
Voltage regulation for accelerators US $1,211.6 +1.07% −11.0% +34.4% −28.1%
NVDA
NVIDIA
Demand aggregator for HBM, packaging, optics and robotics compute US $204.6 −4.22% −11.4% +10.0% −14.5%
TSM
Taiwan Semiconductor
Leading-node foundry and CoWoS packaging chokepoint Taiwan $406.1 −5.95% −11.6% +34.7% −16.4%
ASX
ASE Technology
Largest OSAT; takes CoWoS-class overflow Taiwan $39.50 −11.34% −11.7% +147.8% −17.0%
STM
STMicroelectronics
SiC and GaN power devices Switzerland $46.74 −6.50% −12.6% +81.2% −41.3%
ASML
ASML Holding
Sole EUV lithography supplier Netherlands $1,565.9 −6.55% −13.3% +47.3% −21.1%
6762.T
TDK
Passive components, MLCCs and power supplies Japan ¥2,572.0 −7.22% −13.7% +18.2% −37.0%
6146.T
Disco
Dicing and grinding for thin wafers and HBM Japan ¥49,540 −5.31% −13.8% +3.8% −43.8%
GFS
GlobalFoundries
Specialty-node foundry incl. silicon photonics US $41.90 −8.62% −13.9% +20.5% −53.2%
2301.TW
Lite-On Technology
AI server power supplies and shelves Taiwan NT$240.5 −4.56% −14.4% +51.1% −24.2%
6274.TWO
Taiwan Union Technology
High-speed copper-clad laminate Taiwan NT$1,265.0 −8.99% −14.8% +158.1% −33.4%
POWI
Power Integrations
GaN power conversion US $43.86 −10.54% −14.8% +24.8% −49.6%
IFX.DE
Infineon Technologies
SiC/GaN power semis for 800V DC racks Germany €50.56 −6.39% −14.9% +35.0% −42.5%
3037.TW
Unimicron
ABF substrate capacity Taiwan NT$989.0 −4.90% −15.1% +350.5% −25.4%
CIEN
Ciena
Coherent optics for data-centre interconnect US $320.7 −8.22% −15.4% +37.1% −48.9%
ANET
Arista Networks
Ethernet switching for AI back-end networks US $168.9 −8.34% −17.4% +28.9% −22.1%
005930.KS
Samsung Electronics
HBM, DRAM and foundry across memory and logic Korea ₩225,000 −3.02% −17.4% +88.2% −37.9%
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices
Second merchant GPU source competing for the same CoWoS and HBM US $504.8 −10.88% −18.0% +135.7% −22.3%
ASM.AS
ASM International
ALD/epitaxy for gate-all-around transistors Netherlands €729.8 −7.57% −18.6% +41.5% −32.4%
6981.T
Murata Manufacturing
Largest MLCC maker; high-cap parts for AI servers Japan ¥6,358.0 −7.72% −19.0% +98.6% −47.9%
NVMI
Nova
Dimensional and materials metrology Israel $312.2 −6.68% −19.2% −4.9% −48.5%
MU
Micron Technology
US HBM/DRAM supplier; allocation thesis pulse US $884.7 −5.30% −19.4% +210.2% −27.1%
8035.T
Tokyo Electron
Coater/developer, etch and deposition tools Japan ¥9,514.0 −5.19% −19.5% +44.8% −37.5%
BESI.AS
BE Semiconductor
Hybrid bonding equipment leader Netherlands €154.0 −5.72% −19.5% +15.9% −51.9%
LITE
Lumentum
EML and CW lasers for 800G/1.6T US $840.7 −8.57% −19.6% +128.1% −25.8%
000660.KS
SK hynix
HBM share leader Korea ₩1,418,000 −7.08% −19.7% +118.3% −51.4%
6488.TWO
GlobalWafers
Silicon wafers incl. US capacity Taiwan NT$756.0 −7.13% −20.0% +86.9% −49.9%
WDC
Western Digital
Hard drives for AI data storage US $366.1 −7.41% −20.9% +112.8% −50.9%
KLAC
KLA
Process control and inspection at leading nodes US $157.9 −5.69% −21.2% +30.4% −47.6%
SMCI
Super Micro Computer
Rack-scale AI servers and liquid cooling US $32.95 −4.30% −21.4% +12.6% −36.6%
DELL
Dell Technologies
AI servers for enterprise and neoclouds US $424.3 −10.77% −21.6% +240.6% −27.8%
009150.KS
Samsung Electro-Mechanics
MLCCs and FC-BGA substrates Korea ₩1,196,000 −7.50% −21.7% +369.0% −47.3%
GLW
Corning
Optical fiber and connectivity for AI halls US $123.3 −4.32% −23.1% +41.6% −51.7%
5802.T
Sumitomo Electric
Optical fiber, HV cable and compound semis Japan ¥1,770.0 −5.35% −23.6% +14.2% −48.9%
CAMT
Camtek
Inspection for HBM and advanced packaging Israel $116.7 −7.89% −24.1% +9.7% −43.8%
4062.T
Ibiden
High-end ABF substrates for AI accelerators Japan ¥8,359.0 −15.21% −24.2% +149.1% −36.7%
5803.T
Fujikura
High-density optical fiber and cable Japan ¥3,918.0 −6.60% −25.0% +36.0% −49.9%
AMKR
Amkor Technology
Advanced packaging OSAT incl. US capacity US $39.50 −4.15% −25.3% +0.5% −57.7%
285A.T
Kioxia
NAND flash and enterprise SSDs Japan ¥13,470 −7.14% −25.6% +287.2% −62.8%
AMAT
Applied Materials
Deposition and materials engineering across logic, DRAM and packaging US $390.1 −7.49% −26.3% +52.3% −46.0%
MRVL
Marvell Technology
Custom silicon, DSPs and electro-optics for AI infrastructure US $196.4 −10.05% −26.7% +131.5% −37.9%
2308.TW
Delta Electronics
Power shelves and thermal for AI racks Taiwan NT$1,335.0 −9.80% −27.2% +39.4% −46.8%
ALAB
Astera Labs
PCIe/CXL retimers and scale-up connectivity US $258.7 −10.93% −27.4% +55.5% −46.4%
042700.KS
Hanmi Semiconductor
TC bonders for HBM stacking Korea ₩182,700 −7.21% −27.5% +43.9% −55.4%
FN
Fabrinet
Precision optical manufacturing for transceivers Thailand $327.3 −6.13% −27.5% −28.1% −56.1%
6963.T
Rohm
SiC power devices Japan ¥3,568.0 −7.49% −27.8% +62.0% −40.0%
COHU
Cohu
Test handlers and interface US $50.79 −4.89% −27.8% +118.3% −31.3%
CRDO
Credo Technology
Active electrical cables and SerDes US $151.0 −8.65% −28.2% +4.9% −50.1%
CLS
Celestica
Hyperscaler networking and compute EMS Canada $265.5 −6.09% −28.8% −10.2% −43.8%
ARM
Arm Holdings
CPU IP inside custom accelerators, servers and edge devices UK $206.0 −9.97% −29.5% +88.4% −53.1%
LRCX
Lam Research
Etch and deposition critical for GAA and HBM US $239.1 −6.01% −29.7% +40.1% −44.8%
3436.T
SUMCO
300mm prime silicon wafers Japan ¥2,321.5 −7.93% −30.0% +62.2% −56.3%
NVTS
Navitas Semiconductor
GaN power ICs for AI power supplies US $8.48 −7.83% −30.0% +18.8% −73.3%
IQE.L
IQE
Compound-semiconductor epitaxial wafers UK 34.45p −11.67% −30.1% +589.0% −45.3%
STX
Seagate Technology
Hard drives (HAMR) for AI data storage US $644.6 −7.98% −31.8% +134.8% −41.0%
AXTI
AXT Inc
InP and GaAs substrates US/China $55.06 −9.56% −32.7% +236.8% −60.9%
UMC
United Microelectronics
Mature-node foundry and interposer capacity Taiwan $16.68 −7.54% −33.8% +116.0% −39.4%
TER
Teradyne
SoC test plus Universal Robots cobots US $274.4 −7.38% −34.0% +41.9% −43.3%
COHR
Coherent
Lasers, InP capacity and optical transceivers US $210.3 −11.34% −34.1% +13.9% −50.7%
TTMI
TTM Technologies
Advanced PCBs for data centers and defence US $82.94 −5.35% −34.4% +20.2% −62.5%
SNDK
SanDisk
NAND flash and enterprise SSDs US $1,150.9 −13.47% −35.6% +384.8% −50.7%
AAOI
Applied Optoelectronics
US-made optical modules and lasers US $69.05 −12.80% −35.7% +98.1% −69.0%
ONTO
Onto Innovation
Advanced-packaging metrology and lithography US $201.6 −9.16% −36.0% +27.7% −46.7%
VICR
Vicor
High-density power modules US $191.1 −7.52% −38.1% +74.3% −49.7%
300308.SZ
Zhongji Innolight
Largest 800G/1.6T transceiver maker China ¥553.0 −4.99% −40.0% −9.1% −59.9%
FORM
FormFactor
Probe cards incl. HBM wafer probe US $87.53 −10.19% −41.0% +56.9% −45.3%
INTC
Intel
US foundry rebuild with advanced-packaging optionality US $65.76 −28.58% −45.2% +78.2% −53.3%
AEHR
Aehr Test Systems
Wafer-level burn-in US $54.89 −10.33% −46.0% +171.9% −62.3%
300502.SZ
Eoptolink
High-speed optical modules China ¥196.0 −14.19% −56.6% −36.2% −67.9%