Zhao Haijun, the Co - CEO of SMIC, disclosed during the third - quarter earnings briefing that while the fourth quarter is typically a slow period, the influence of industry chain transitions and updates has diminished the impact of this seasonal slowdown. The company projects that its fourth - quarter revenue will either remain stable or experience a 2% quarter - on - quarter increase. Moreover, production lines are set to operate at full capacity, and gross margins are expected to stay within the range of 18% to 20%, consistent with the performance in the third quarter. Annual sales revenue is projected to exceed US$9 billion.

In the third quarter, SMIC's sales revenue hit US$2.382 billion, marking a 7.8% quarter - on - quarter rise. The gross margin stood at 22.0%, and capacity utilization climbed to 95.8%. The cumulative revenue for the first three quarters amounted to US$6.838 billion, showing a 17.4% year - on - year growth.

As of the end of the third quarter, the company's monthly capacity, measured in 8 - inch standard logic, reached 1.023 million wafers. Both shipment volumes and unit prices witnessed an increase. When it comes to sales revenue broken down by region and application, different proportions and changes were observed, with multiple product platforms demonstrating a positive development trend.

At present, the company's production lines are facing a shortage of supply due to a sufficient number of orders. Zhao Haijun also emphasized that memory upgrades are advantageous for the manufacturing sector but pose challenges for downstream original equipment manufacturers.

By midday, SMIC's Hong Kong - listed shares had declined by 0.79%, while its A - shares had dropped by 1.8%.