MEC could still double to about a $2B market cap by 2027 if its CZ Series chemical becomes the undisputed requirement for the glass substrates that companies such as Intel and Samsung are moving toward for 2028-2030. That would scale revenue to about $250-300M. x.com 

Mitsui Mining & Smelting holds about 98% of the market for ultra-thin copper foil, which is heading into a supply gap much like the ABF substrate squeeze. It is already running at extremely high utilization as 800G silicon-photonics and upcoming 1.6T optical modules shift to mSAP processes and memory substrates add bits and layers. Optical modules alone could reach 3% of global demand in 2026 and 7% in 2027, and the high-end tightness will spill into the mid-to-low end of copper foil. x.com 

Unimicron should benefit from a persistent AI ABF substrate shortage and a shift toward higher-end products. Its projected share exceeds 30% as the market reaches $13bn/$18bn in 2027/28; added capacity is expected to lift ABF revenue 66%/90%. Higher-end ABF, mSAP and LPDDR lift margins, supporting 77% EPS CAGR. Initiate Buy with a NT$1,820 target at 30x 2027 earnings. x.com 

IC substrates are Schmid's more relevant growth driver today because demand is already high and rising. Schmid customers Ibiden and Unimicron are expanding capacity with NVIDIA support; higher order intake supports the prospect of more equipment orders. Its balance sheet has improved, and the risk/reward looks attractive at current levels despite volatility. Glass substrates may take another one to two years to matter commercially. This is a personal assessment, not a buy recommendation. x.com  … Show more

TTM Technologies' defense-tech PCB exposure is incredibly underappreciated because the market lumps it into AI infrastructure. That infrastructure cycle is nowhere near its peak given PCB and substrate shortages. Insiders bought big; TTM looks like a no-brainer here. x.com 

AI server PCB and substrate makers are among the safest, lower-risk, lower-reward ways to play Nvidia's racks. PCB value rose 233% in one NVL72 generation, second only to memory, and Morgan Stanley flagged PCB as the top downstream hardware gainer. Unimicron leads AI server PCB with 18-22% share; Zhen Ding gets nearly 70% of revenue from AI; Victory Giant is the most direct Nvidia PCB play; Elite Material's low-loss CCL passed Nvidia certification. TTM, Tripod, Compeq, WUS and Shennan also gain. … Show more

Unimicron's profit leverage to rising ABF substrate prices should stay significantly positive and last longer than the market expects, even if customers absorb only part of the increases. As a high-end ABF leader, its high fixed costs and utilization leverage limit any squeeze from costlier T-glass. The T-glass bottleneck and long capacity cycles could extend the benefit for a year or two, and its high Nvidia and ASIC share adds pricing power, though execution on hikes and utilization matters. … Show more

Chemicals are an obvious, overlooked layer of the AI buildout, and most of the stocks have not moved yet. Entegris is the purity play inside TSMC's Arizona fab, where one contaminant can ruin a $30,000 package. MKS supplies specialty chemicals for advanced packaging, Rogers is an indirect play on optical transceivers and high-speed switches, and Element Solutions is the most direct advanced-packaging play, with organic growth the highest since COVID. Chemours belongs in the group too. x.com  … Show more

High-grade PCB and low-loss glass-fiber makers Nitto Boseki, Elite Material and Taiwan Union Technology should keep rising as the obvious workaround to an inevitable memory despec for Nvidia's Rubin Ultra and Feynman. All three have more than tripled in the past year, and some are up over 10x in three years. Switching suppliers is harder here than in memory, which is why a few firms dominate, but it is higher risk and new supply coming online has not been analyzed. x.com 

Samsung Electro-Mechanics is breaking into AI packaging by supplying silicon capacitors for Intel's EMIB, which is why the stock is surging. TSMC sourced silicon capacitors in-house, shutting outsiders out, but Intel must buy them. SEMCO is the only company with both silicon capacitor and substrate businesses, the top-value EMIB part, so it can supply both turnkey with strong bargaining power. It won a contract over $1B versus a few million dollars of such revenue last year. x.com