Say No To Trading
Public Markets Investor, Opportunistic Buying & Cost-Basis Management
Sivers Semiconductors' valuation is hard to justify even on its most ambitious targets for the next 1-3 years, given the margins it has and will have. Its most interesting angle is private companies such as Lightmatter apparently using its CW laser arrays, though that is not officially confirmed. Lumentum and Coherent, while not exact peers, are preferred. x.comÂ
Sivers Semiconductors looks like a pumped stock rather than a hidden gem. The illiquid foreign microcap is up 1,796% year to date after heavy promotion by someone with a huge paid-subscriber base, yet it is still touted as one of the best-kept secrets; by comparison, Nebius is up 153%. x.comÂ
Sivers Semiconductors is expensive because its valuation rests on a $1.2 billion opportunity pipeline, an unreliable KPI. At 15% conversion next year, it trades near 22x 2027 sales versus Lumentum's 14x and Coherent's and AAOI's 5x, and about 13x 2029 sales versus 3-9x for incumbents with contracted LTAs. The InP laser shortage is Lumentum's and Coherent's asset; Sivers gains access only in H2 2027 if all goes to plan and needs the shortage into 2028. It is a swing trade, not a conviction hold. … Show more
Marvell risks paying a peak-scarcity price for Lumentum if optical supply catches up by 2028-30. The proposed ~$99B deal values Lumentum at roughly 20x guided annualized revenue and 58x estimated after-tax operating income, while Lumentum, Coherent and Chinese suppliers are adding laser capacity. The DSP-and-laser combination has strategic logic, but durable scarcity economics and Nvidia's response remain uncertain. x.comÂ
Optics and photonics should be among AI's biggest winners as faster GPU networks need optical connections that suppliers cannot expand quickly enough. Lumentum says some components are sold out through early 2029; Sivers is investing $30M to target more than 100M lasers a year, with operations expected in Q4 2027. Potential US restrictions on Chinese transceivers could reshape supply in 2027. Applied Optoelectronics and Sivers are the favorites. x.com x.comÂ
Sivers Semiconductors is still a startup, not a volume supplier, until it announces purchase orders with clear amounts and gives year-by-year revenue guidance. Its growing opportunity pipeline rests on management's discretion, not contracts, so it is noise. Management dodged forward guidance, reported no qualifications or production orders while CPO should grow triple digits, and conceded it trails Lumentum everywhere. Its margin target would be remarkable versus Coherent's ~40%. x.comÂ
Sivers Semiconductors' AI optics rally prices in more than its photonics business has shown. About 75% of revenue is still wireless mmWave. Its 50-75mW CW lasers suit 400G and 800G but trail tier-1 rivals, making it a tier-2 spillover supplier like Applied Optoelectronics. Its small, old Glasgow fab has $50-150 million of potential laser revenue, with no sign of major expansion. Its multi-wavelength laser arrays for CPO are pre-revenue as Nvidia and Broadcom build their own. x.comÂ
Lumentum is a great business, but at $954 its risk/reward is not attractive. Applying 30x to fiscal 2028 non-GAAP EPS of $40 gives a 2027 price target of $1,200, about 26% upside, or roughly 15% after adjusting for execution, financial, technology and supply risks. Reaching it needs on-time manufacturing ramps, sustained pricing power and cash flow without excessive dilution. Lost pricing power plus slipping OCS or laser ramps would break the thesis; a significant dip would offer a better entry. … Show more
China's already-shipping CW lasers make Sivers' Chinese pluggable pipeline depend on price and qualification speed. Yuanjie says its 70/100mW chips, the classes Sivers lists, are in continuous large-volume delivery. It guides Q3 revenue up 265-293% and expects new capacity from end-2026 to early 2027, before Sivers' Q4 2027 Glasgow expansion. Yuanjie's 120/300/400mW parts remain in customer validation; Western hyperscaler qualification is probably where Sivers still has time. x.com x.com x.com … Show more
AI bandwidth demand still favors Coherent and Lumentum, but tight customer financing can delay orders and lasting valuations need durable profits. A model provider losing share need not reduce total bandwidth use. Coherent could beat and raise guidance; Lumentum may only meet estimates this quarter, improving next quarter. If margins partly reflect scarce indium phosphide, added supply will test whether upgrades, volume and cost gains sustain earnings. These earnings calls remain forecasts. … Show more
Sivers Semiconductors is undervalued because its photonics subsidiary's valuation potential is likely grossly mispriced, though that unit deserves a hefty discount until listed. Sivers Photonics failed to list via a SPAC in 2024, even early in the AI boom; the main wireless business is boring; and unlisted subsidiaries trade at deep discounts until holders see a path to monetization. Per @aleabitoreddit, Sivers, a laser maker for hyperscaler photonic supply chains, is valued at only about $200M. … Show more
Sivers still looks unrealistically expensive even though the optical market's TAM has grown far more. Plugging the Goldman Sachs photonics report into models still leaves it overvalued. x.comÂ
