Taiwanese materials analysis firm Materials Analysis Technology (MA-tek) has set successive revenue records on the back of demand for AI chips and silicon photonics — good news for shareholders.

• August consolidated revenue reached NT$254 million, up 5.5% month-on-month and 32% year-on-year, a record for a single month; cumulative revenue for the first eight months rose 22.7% year-on-year.
• The company's in-house MSS HG silicon photonics inspection system has entered commercialisation, with an initial small volume of two to three units to ship by the end of this year.
• Next year's target is 10 to 20 units, with a fully configured system priced at close to NT$300 million each; equipment revenue could surpass that of the company's core analysis services business.
• MA-tek has signed a comprehensive joint development agreement with one international equipment maker, works with two others on a case-by-case basis, and is in talks with a fourth on patent licensing.
• Rising integration in optical chips and advanced packaging is driving a parallel increase in demand for precision structural inspection and failure localisation.

Outlook: the official launch of the equipment at year-end and the results of customer validation will determine whether next year's shipment target can be met.