Japan’s Advantest has increased its full-year operating profit forecast by 37%, citing strong demand for chip testing tools used in artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The company expects operating income to reach 226 billion yen ($1.46 billion) for the financial year ending March 31, 2025.
Key Highlights:
- AI-Driven Demand Surge: Advantest is seeing increased demand for its semiconductor testing tools, particularly for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) chips.
- Supply Chain Improvements: CEO Douglas Lefever emphasized the company’s ability to scale up supply chain operations to meet AI sector needs.
- Q4 Profit Growth: Operating income for October-December surged 158% to 69.2 billion yen.
- DeepSeek’s Market Impact: The emergence of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, has recently affected market sentiment. However, Advantest has not observed changes in customer demand forecasts.
- Long-Term AI Growth: Lefever reaffirmed that ongoing AI advancements will drive sustained semiconductor and testing tool demand.
