Finance.CCTV | Semiconductor Boom Continues as Price Hikes Sweep Memory and Analog Chip Segments

CCTV-2 (Reporter: Jin Hemiao) — On the evening of March 3, STAR Market-listed company BIWIN Storage (688525) disclosed its operating data from January to February 2026, reporting explosive growth in performance. The company expects to achieve operating revenue of RMB 4.0 billion to RMB 4.5 billion for the first two months of the year, with net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company ranging from RMB 1.5 billion to RMB 1.8 billion. The projected profit for the two-month period is more than double that of the entire previous year, unveiling a broader recovery across semiconductor sub-segments. The reporter noted that, driven by demand for AI server computing power and cyclical capacity adjustments, memory chip prices have continued to rise since the second half of 2025, reaching their highest levels since 2016. Among them, price increases for DRAM and NAND Flash have been particularly significant. In addition, price hike signals have emerged in segments such as analog chips and power semiconductors. A number of STAR Market-listed chip design companies, including SmartSens (688213) and China Resources Microelectronics (688396), have recently issued frequent product price adjustment notices, with most increases ranging from 10% to 20%, and some reaching as high as 50%.

Industry insiders have pointed out that the current round of price increases is driven by the convergence of multiple factors. On the demand side, AI servers are driving explosive demand for high-end memory such as HBM and DDR5, while the recovery of consumer electronics has boosted demand for general-purpose memory and analog chips. On the supply side, memory manufacturers have been continuously reducing capacity and optimizing inventory since last year, while the analog chip industry has completed a two-year inventory destocking cycle, bringing inventory levels down to a healthy range. Capacity clearance among small and medium-sized manufacturers has also led to higher industry concentration. On the pricing side, wafer foundry and packaging & testing segments are operating at high capacity utilization rates, and some products are in short supply. The resulting upstream price increases have been passed downstream, prompting chip design companies to raise their prices as well. Overall, all segments of the semiconductor industry chain have entered a new phase of simultaneous growth in volume and price, with high market prosperity expected to continue throughout the year.