Takeru Hanaya's questions to Advantest Corp (ATEYY) leadership • Q1 2024
Question
Takeru Hanaya from SMBC Nikko Securities inquired about the significant improvement in the gross margin guidance, from 48% to 52%. He suggested that the improvement might be driven more by a favorable mix shift within the SoC segment (HPC/AI vs. automotive) rather than just the overall SoC vs. memory mix.
Answer
Executive Douglas Lefever agreed that the favorable SoC mix was a key factor but also highlighted successful margin expansion initiatives in the memory business, including value-added features and economies of scale. An executive added that HPC-related business requires richer, higher-ASP test systems, which carry better margins, confirming the analyst's hypothesis about the mix within the SoC segment.