Gowshihan Sriharan's questions to PHOTRONICS (PLAB) leadership • Q3 2025
Question
Gowshihan Sriharan questioned the drivers for the sequential change in gross margin, the customer adoption and qualification timeline for the new multi-beam mask writer in Boise, the flexibility to redeploy cash from joint ventures for U.S. needs, and the potential business impact from U.S. government support for Intel.
Answer
CFO Eric Rivera attributed the gross margin change primarily to the overall business mix in Asia. CTO Christopher Progler reported that qualifications for the multi-beam writer are well underway with 3-5 customers already qualified, and noted it is the only such tool in a commercial U.S. mask shop. Rivera explained that the company controls the JV cash and can dividend it to the U.S. if needed. Both Rivera and Progler agreed that government support strengthening Intel, a key customer, would be beneficial for Photronics, especially for trusted government-related products.