The stronger the AI, the more we need 'light'? In the first stage of the AI revolution, everyone rushed for GPUs. In the second stage, everyone rushed for HBM, CoWoS, and servers. Now, as AI super data centers are being built larger and larger, the next bottleneck is emerging: Computing power is ready, but data still can't run fast enough. Giants like NVIDIA and Broadcom have long seen this point and are fully transitioning to CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) and silicon photonics technology, directly packaging the optical engine next to the switch chip, equivalent to opening a fiber optic highway into the heart of the chip. Power consumption can be reduced by up to 70%, and bandwidth density explodes. This transformation has officially moved from a 'dream topic' to a 'substantial volume and profit realization' golden rising stage by the second half of 2026. Heaven, earth, and human factors are aligned, and smart money has already positioned itself. First, let's talk about the geographical advantage. After the U.S. ban was implemented, American customers, due to data security concerns, hardly dare to use optical communication components produced in mainland China. This huge geopolitical protective umbrella directly crashes on Taiwanese companies that master advanced packaging and optical integration technologies, causing orders to pour in. Next, let's talk about the human factor. Just this month, on 8/6, the first actively managed ETF dedicated to optical communications, 'LYTE,' was officially listed. The company that issued this ETF, after launching a memory ETF last time, saw a near doubling in just three months. They chose to launch LYTE at a critical attack point for the Taiwanese stock market, essentially telling the global capital: The last piece of the puzzle for AI infrastructure is optical communications. Finally, there's the timing: Last Friday evening, U.S. non-farm payroll data was a big disappointment, with wage growth slowing and the probability of a rate hike plummeting. The suppressed short-term short positions faced brutal short-squeezing, with optical communications and high-speed transmission groups leading the charge. CPO Taiwanese stocks, besides Lian Jia, who else is worth following? Lian Jia (3081-TW) as the leader in LED and key light sources is well-known. But the ones truly worth watching are those mid-tier and dark horse companies whose fundamentals are quietly strengthening and are poised to see their EPS multiply in 2026-2027. Maolian-KY (3665-TW): A hidden dark horse that has moved from high-grade copper wire to optical system integration. After acquiring Xinfusheng Optoelectronics, it strengthened its FAU and silicon photonics component technology. The 102.4T CPO switch connector cable has been sampled to TSMC and major manufacturers. Optical fiber production capacity will expand several times in the second half of the year, and optical communication revenue is expected to double next year, with explosive profit potential. Pan Chin (6830-TW): July revenue hit a historic high, with 90% coming from AI and silicon photonics detection. It exclusively owns the global 'optical loss detection' patent technology and has been established as a dedicated R&D area by a U.S. AI chip giant in Taiwan. As silicon photonics verification enters the volume production phase, detection demand will explode, and gross margin is expected to rebound to 30-40%. Lian Jun (3450-TW): A one-stop indicator for advanced silicon photonics packaging, holding orders from major U.S. customer AOC. High-end optoelectronic products account for more than 60%, and high-speed laser crystal packaging capacity has doubled. 800G optical modules are being produced quarter by quarter, with 1.6T following, and production capacity will double in the second half of this year and double again next year. Order visibility extends to the end of 2027. Hua Xing Guang (4979-TW): Focuses on high-speed optical transceiver active components, with CW Laser shipments surging and production capacity doubling. It has also exclusively entered high-threshold EML packaging large orders, breaking into the supply chain of U.S. giants. Analysts are optimistic about a 60% year-on-year revenue challenge in 2026, with EPS expected to enter a golden rising stage with a big explosion. IET-KY (4971-TW): A major manufacturer of high-grade indium phosphide (InP) epitaxy, a key material source for high-speed optical communication lasers. In the 1.6T transmission era, the world is in extreme demand for MBE epitaxy high-difficulty process capacity. With extremely high technical barriers and few competitors, it enjoys long-term high-growth dividends in the CPO and high-speed light source market. Huan Yu-KY (4991-TW): Possesses a high defensive wall for III-V family epitaxy processes, with a 70% market share in 100G PD, and 200G has been volume produced. Benefiting from the dual-engine explosion of PD+CW light sources, order visibility extends to the first quarter of 2027. Analysts estimate that revenue will increase by 40-60% year-on-year in 2026/2027, and profits will welcome a big turnaround this year. Guang Huan (3234-TW): Has been deeply involved in optical communication chips, optical transceiver assemblies, and VCSEL for many years, and is an indispensable base-level general in high-speed optical fiber transmission. With the AI data center specifications fully upgraded to 800G and 1.6T, the supply-demand gap for high-speed active components is widening, and operations will strongly emerge from the trough, demonstrating extremely high gross margin improvement and turnaround profit elasticity. Guang Sheng (6442-TW): A major manufacturer of high-density optical fiber connectors, with patents covering 288 cores to 6912 cores. It has invested in CPO key ELS and FAU modules, and profits are expected to enter an explosive phase in 2026, with EPS expected to double. The general seat even shouted, 'A 50% gross margin is the baseline,' combining strong profit growth potential and patent moat. Bo Ruo Wei (3163-TW): Successfully entered the NVIDIA CPO supply chain, one of the biggest beneficiaries of the 'non-China transfer order' geopolitical situation, with production capacity in the Philippines expanding 2-3 times. Benefiting from the mass production of 1.6T/3.2T CPO core components in the second half of the year, analysts estimate that EPS in 2026 will reach up to 7 yuan, and in 2027, it will soar to 19 yuan, with revenue momentum welcoming a doubling of growth. Conclusion: In this 'light in, copper out' big trend, the real opportunity is not necessarily only in the most well-known leaders. Sometimes, the real excess returns are hidden in those second-tier companies whose revenue has just started to jump, gross margins are improving, and EPS has not yet fully reflected. This is also why, in addition to Lian Jia (3081-TW), I will include Maolian-KY (3665-TW), Pan Chin (6830-TW), Lian Jun (3450-TW), Hua Xing Guang (4979-TW), IET-KY (4971-TW), Huan Yu-KY (4991-TW), Guang Huan (3234-TW), Guang Sheng (6442-TW), and Bo Ruo Wei (3163-TW) in the subsequent tracking list. Are you ready to position yourself on the pullback and buy on the dip? 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FACT BOX
- Source: PR Times
- Category: Survey
- Organizations: IET-KY