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To: Elroy who wrote (90265)5/31/2023 8:23:20 PM
From: Sun Tzu1 Recommendation

Recommended By
Elroy

  Respond to of 95383
 
Thank you. I am going to categorize this as a "me too" jumping on the AI bandwagon similar to when every tom, dick, and harry stuck a dot-com to their name to make their stock go up.

Here's what he is really saying: AI requires high speed networks and interconnects, and we make such products, therefore AI adoption is beneficial to us.

I am not arguing with that. But at the end of the day they are *not* an AI company. Their use of the word AI will not change their revenue forecasts. I am assuming that a CEO is aware of how the sales trend for his product is going, even if he didn't know what the end use is - which he seems to have discovered just in the nick of time to hitch a ride on the AI bandwagon.

I actually know a thing or two about datacenters and their interconnects. Suffice to say that NVidia also makes those parts. When you decide to use a bunch of NVDA chips or cards for your AI applications, are you more likely to buy a 3rd party HW to connect them or will you stay with the same firm?

The answer depends on how competitively NVDA has priced their HW. For the most parts, especially for large customers, if the price difference is not too high (read less than 20% for about the same performance), then they prefer to get it all from one vendor in order to limit any finger pointing between vendors should something break.

So in my mind, MRVL is not an AI company by any stretch of imagination. They may benefit from the use case, but that is reflected in their forward guidance. No need for a multiple expansion.

JMO



To: Elroy who wrote (90265)6/1/2023 12:24:47 PM
From: Return to Sender1 Recommendation

Recommended By
The Ox

  Respond to of 95383
 
Aehr Announces New Customer and Initial Order for FOX-XP™ Multi-Wafer Test and Burn-in System for Volume Production of Silicon Carbide MOSFETs
finance.yahoo.com

Aehr Test Systems
FREMONT, Calif., June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ: AEHR), a worldwide supplier of semiconductor test and production burn-in equipment, today announced a new silicon carbide semiconductor customer and initial order for a FOX-XPTM multi-wafer test and burn-in system, multiple WaferPakTM Contactors, a WaferPak Aligner, and a high-volume production support kit to be used for volume production of silicon carbide MOSFETs for electric vehicles, trucks, and train traction inverter modules. The turnkey system including the FOX-XP, WaferPak Contactors and WaferPak Aligner is expected to ship within the next two quarters.

In addition, Aehr has also signed a long-term supply agreement with this new customer covering FOX-XP systems, WaferPaks, WaferPak Aligners, and support. This new customer is a multinational industrial conglomerate and manufacturer of semiconductors, including power semiconductors.

Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems, commented, “We are very excited that after conducting an evaluation of technical and commercial requirements, this new customer has decided to move very quickly to purchasing our production FOX-XP solution to accelerate their time to market. This evaluation included cost of ownership, customer device module yield improvement, system capacity and throughput, and device test, burn-in, and stabilization coverage. They see the enormous opportunity in the silicon carbide market, particularly for the traction inverters used in electric vehicles including trucks, and in electric commuter trains where they believe they can provide a superior product of long-term reliability and useful life. Importantly, these new applications represent new market drivers for our system. This customer is forecasting to grow their silicon carbide business significantly, which we believe will drive incremental capacity for our FOX systems as well as WaferPak Contactor purchases for capacity and new designs.

“Our momentum with this newest customer reflects the acceleration in customer benchmarks and evaluations we are seeing, including shifting from on-wafer evaluations and moving straight to placing orders for our systems and WaferPaks.

“Several companies are describing an even stronger and broader shift to multi-die modules for the electric vehicle market, particularly for the main traction inverters used on each electric engine or drive unit. The reduction in size and cost of implementing traction inverters using multi-die modules becomes more critical in achieving cost reductions in electric vehicles that are smaller and that have multiple drive units per vehicle. Unlike traditional internal combustion vehicles with only one engine per vehicle, it is becoming more and more typical to see electric vehicles that come standard or have the option of more than one motor or drive unit in them.

“Wafer level burn-in is critically important to remove infant mortality or early failures of devices before they are put into modules, where the failure of any device would cause the entire module to fail and be scrapped. A single module for use in large traction inverters such as commuter trains might include up to 10, 12, or even 32 devices. Our FOX-XP wafer level system can test and burn-in up to 18 wafers at a time and enables contact to 100% of the die in a single touchdown up to several thousand die per wafer, with 100% confidence of test burn-in of each device. This is key to companies wanting to put these devices in electric vehicle applications, where up to one percent or more of the die would fail in the field if not burned in.

“In addition, beyond screening out weak devices or early failures before they are put into a module, there is a need to stabilize the inherent early life drift of threshold voltages of devices that is critical to the module reliability. Silicon carbide devices have voltage thresholds, which is effectively the voltage at which each individual device turns on and will drift during the first use, or during burn-in stress conditions under thermal loads. This can cause individual die in a multi-die module to turn on prematurely relative to the other die in parallel, which can create a disproportional stress on the die leading to its early failure. This in turn will lead to the failure of the entire module. This failure must be screened out to prevent a “walk home event,” whereupon with the failure of the traction inverter module, the drive unit will fail, leading to the driver and all the passengers having to get out of the electric vehicle and walk home.”

The FOX-XP system, available with multiple WaferPak Contactors (full wafer test) or multiple DiePakTM Carriers (singulated die/module test) configurations, is capable of functional test and burn-in/cycling of integrated devices such as silicon carbide (SiC) power devices, silicon photonics as well as other optical devices, 2D and 3D sensors, flash memories, Gallium Nitride (GaN), magnetic sensors, microcontrollers, and other leading-edge ICs in either wafer form factor, before they are assembled into single or multi-die stacked packages, or in singulated die or module form factor.

About Aehr Test Systems
Headquartered in Fremont, California, Aehr Test Systems is a worldwide provider of test systems for burning-in semiconductor devices in wafer level, singulated die, and package part form, and has installed over 2,500 systems worldwide. Increased quality and reliability needs of the Automotive and Mobility integrated circuit markets are driving additional test requirements, incremental capacity needs, and new opportunities for Aehr Test products in package, wafer level, and singulated die/module level test. Aehr Test has developed and introduced several innovative products, including the ABTSTM and FOX-PTM families of test and burn-in systems and FOX WaferPakTM Aligner, FOX WaferPak Contactor, FOX DiePak® Carrier and FOX DiePak Loader. The ABTS system is used in production and qualification testing of packaged parts for both lower power and higher power logic devices as well as all common types of memory devices. The FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems are full wafer contact and singulated die/module test and burn-in systems used for burn-in and functional test of complex devices, such as leading-edge silicon carbide-based power semiconductors, memories, digital signal processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, systems-on-a-chip, and integrated optical devices. The FOX-CP system is a new low-cost single-wafer compact test and reliability verification solution for logic, memory and photonic devices and the newest addition to the FOX-P product family. The WaferPak Contactor contains a unique full wafer probe card capable of testing wafers up to 300mm that enables IC manufacturers to perform test and burn-in of full wafers on Aehr Test FOX systems. The DiePak Carrier is a reusable, temporary package that enables IC manufacturers to perform cost-effective final test and burn-in of both bare die and modules. For more information, please visit Aehr Test Systems’ website at www.aehr.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or Aehr’s future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates,” “going to,” "could," "intends," "target," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern Aehr’s expectations, strategy, priorities, plans, or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, future requirements and orders of Aehr’s new and existing customers; bookings forecasted for proprietary WaferPakTM and DiePak consumables; and expectations related to long-term demand for Aehr’s productions and the attractiveness of key markets. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in Aehr’s recent Form 10-K, 10-Q and other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Aehr disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

Contacts:















Aehr Test Systems





MKR Investor Relations Inc.

Vernon Rogers





Todd Kehrli or Jim Byers

EVP of Sales & Marketing





Analyst/Investor Contact

(510) 623-9400 x215





(213) 277-5550

vrogers@aehr.com





aehr@mkr-group.com




To: Elroy who wrote (90265)7/14/2023 1:51:12 PM
From: Return to Sender3 Recommendations

Recommended By
Kirk ©
Sam
Sr K

  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 95383
 
Aehr Reports Record Revenue and Profit for Fiscal 2023 and Guides for Over 50% Increase in Revenue for Fiscal 2024 on Strength from Semiconductor Wafer Level Test and Burn-in Demand
4:05 PM ET 7/13/23 | GlobeNewswire

Aehr Reports Record Revenue and Profit for Fiscal 2023 and Guides for Over 50% Increase in Revenue for Fiscal 2024 on Strength from Semiconductor Wafer Level Test and Burn-in Demand

FREMONT, Calif., July 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ: AEHR), a worldwide supplier of semiconductor test and production burn-in equipment, today announced financial results for its fiscal 2023 fourth quarter and full year ended May 31, 2023.

Fiscal Fourth Quarter Financial Results:
   -- Net sales were a record $22.3 million, up from $20.3 million in the        fourth quarter of fiscal 2022.       -- GAAP net income was a record $6.1 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, up        from GAAP net income of $5.8 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, in the        fourth quarter of fiscal 2022.       -- Non-GAAP net income, which excludes the impact of stock-based        compensation, was a record $6.8 million, or $0.23 per diluted share,        compared to non-GAAP net income of $6.5 million, or $0.23 per diluted        share, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022.       -- Backlog as of May 31, 2023, was $24.5 million. Effective backlog, which        includes all orders received since the end of the fourth quarter, is        $39.7 million.       -- Total cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments as of May 31,        2023 were $47.9 million, up from $31.5 million at May 31, 2022. 

Fiscal Year Financial Results:
   -- Net sales were a record $65.0 million, up 28% from $50.8 million in        fiscal 2022.       -- GAAP net income was a record $14.6 million, or $0.50 per diluted share,        up 54% from GAAP net income of $9.5 million, or $0.34 per diluted share,        in fiscal 2022.       -- Non-GAAP net income, which excludes the impact of stock-based        compensation, was a record $17.3 million, or $0.59 per diluted share, up        62% from non-GAAP net income of $10.7 million, or $0.38 per diluted share,        in fiscal 2022. 

An explanation of the use of non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of Aehr's non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures can be found in the accompanying tables.

Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems, commented:

"We are pleased to report record financial performance for both the quarter as well as the entire fiscal year ended May 31. For fiscal 2023, total revenue grew 28% to a record $65.0 million, bookings reached a record of $78.3 million, and our GAAP profit of $14.6 million and non-GAAP profit of $17.3 million were also records, growing 54% and 62% year over year, respectively. This record performance was driven by bookings and revenue shipments of our FOX wafer level test and burn-in systems and WaferPak full wafer Contactors for silicon carbide semiconductors used in electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, as well as silicon photonics devices used in data and telecommunications infrastructure and a new application for multichip modules using optical data interconnections.

"We saw fiscal 2023 as a breakout year for our unique and proprietary wafer level test and burn-in products. These products provide complete solutions for semiconductor manufacturers for high-volume test, burn-in, and stabilization of semiconductors such as those used in electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, photovoltaic (solar) power conversion, and data and telecommunications infrastructure. We also see on the horizon a significant new market opportunity for test and burn-in of semiconductors such as silicon photonics devices used in optical input/output (I/O) and co-packaged optics for data farms, computing, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) markets.

"In our fiscal fourth quarter just completed, we received the first purchase order from another new silicon carbide semiconductor company for our production FOX-XP solution to be used for volume production wafer level test and burn-in of silicon carbide devices for electric vehicles, trucks, and train traction inverter modules. The train traction inverter application represents an exciting new market driver for our FOX production test solutions due to the extreme reliability and length of service requirements of this application leading to prolonged test times. This new customer, a multinational industrial conglomerate and manufacturer of semiconductors including power semiconductors, is forecasting to grow their silicon carbide business significantly to meet the market demand, which we forecast will in turn drive incremental capacity of our FOX systems as well as our proprietary WaferPak full wafer Contactors.

"With the addition of this latest customer, we have significantly expanded our customer base by adding a total of four new silicon carbide customers this year. Each of these customers is already ramping or plans to ramp our products into high-volume production using our multi wafer test and burn-in systems.

"We also have multiple potential customers inquiring about our systems with the new high voltage option introduced last year to test and burn-in gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors for power conversion applications. The gallium nitride market appears to be a potentially significant growth driver for our systems and WaferPak full wafer Contactors, particularly for automotive and photovoltaic applications where burn-in appears to be critical for meeting the initial quality and reliability needs of those markets.

"We also see a major market opportunity with the upcoming application of silicon photonics integrated circuits for use in optical chip-to-chip communication. This is in addition to the current photonics transceiver market used in data and telecommunications. Multiple companies such as Intel, nVidia, AMD, TSMC, and Global Foundries have made announcements regarding their product roadmaps for co-packaged photonics integrated circuits with microprocessors, graphics processors, chip sets for computing as well as artificial intelligence applications. During the fiscal fourth quarter, we received our first order from a current major silicon photonics customer for a volume production FOX-XP configured to enable cost-effective production test of wafers of next-generation photonic integrated circuits, which can be used in new optical I/O or heterogeneous integrated packages. This customer is one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers and we expect to receive orders for additional production systems as they increase production of these devices.

"Another major milestone is that we have now installed both configurations of our new fully automated WaferPak Aligner at multiple customers, with the standalone Aligner already accepted and released into production just this week, and the FOX-XP with integrated Aligner expected to receive acceptance before the end of our current fiscal first quarter. Our new automated WaferPak Aligner allows hands free operation of WaferPak handling and Alignment and is available either as a standalone with movement between the Aligner and portable carts or in full integration with the FOX-XP system. As capacity and volume forecast increase, eliminating all manual interfaces for automated handling can become critical. The added automation capability of our new Aligner gives our wafer level test and burn-in offering even greater value and opens several incremental markets to Aehr, such as high-volume processors and chipsets with integrated photonics transceivers, flash and ultimately DRAM memories. This capability is also important for high volume, high mix devices requiring extremely high reliability and 100% burn-in such as automotive microcontrollers and sensors. We have received positive feedback on our new Aligner from multiple current and prospective customers across several markets and believe it will be an important addition to our product portfolio going forward.

"The market forecast for wafer level burn-in products is significant. William Blair estimates that the total available market for wafer level burn-in products for silicon carbide alone will be over $400 million by 2027. We believe Aehr has the potential to capture a significant portion of that market based on the level of silicon carbide engagements we have with customers across the globe.

"We start fiscal 2024 with an effective backlog of almost $40 million and a strong forecast from our current and prospective customers. Our engagements with numerous potential customers give us confidence in our growth expectations over the next several years, including record revenue and profit projections for this current fiscal year that ends next May, particularly as the positive momentum in demand for silicon carbide in electric vehicles continues to accelerate."

Fiscal 2024 Financial Guidance:

For the fiscal year ending May 31, 2024, Aehr expects total revenue to be at least $100 million, representing growth of over 50% year over year, and GAAP net income of at least $28 million, representing earnings growth of greater than 90% year over year.

Management Conference Call and Webcast

Aehr Test Systems will host a conference call and webcast today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern (2:00 p.m. PT) to discuss its fiscal 2023 fourth quarter and full year operating results. To access the live call, dial +1 844-735-3765 (US and Canada) or +1 412-317-5712 (International) and ask to join the Aehr Test Systems earnings call.

In addition, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available over the Internet at www.aehr.com in the Investor Relations section and may also be accessed by clicking here. A replay of the conference call will also be available via telephone beginning approximately two hours after conclusion of the call and will remain available for one week. To access the call replay, dial +1 877-344-7529 (US and Canada) or +1 412-317-0088 (International) and enter replay passcode 7898611.

About Aehr Test Systems

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