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@aleabitoredditMay 17, 2026 · 1:28 AM

When I see comments like this (and there are a lot) from retail investors: I immediately think they lack the technical depth. I'll walk through each one from $SIVE to $LPK: 1. Photonics TAM goes from $14B -> $154B In just two years time, and it's likely going to keep scaling past 2030 as it's the next generation architecture of choice. It's not going away in 1 year. It's not going away in 3 years, which is why $LITE premiums keep going higher since they're backlogged into 2028. $SIVE supplies CW lasers and is highly tethered to CPO and now pluggable transcivers for 1.6T and 3.2... For expected companies like $JBL, Ayar, Lightmatter, Lightelligence, $POET, $MRVL Celestial, and $AMD. This isn't a "trade", it's the core chokepoint and IP holder for the next generation of photonics. And it's a comfortable hold for the next few years as they scale to become the next $LITE. The risk I personally see (since they're already qualified with so many players), it's mainly how much TAM they can capture of the overall optical supercycle. (And potential risks with Win Semi volume ramp, but Win is massive so I can sleep tightly there). As just supplying lasers isn't enough to justify valuation. It's TAM expansion downward into making the entire ELS or entire pluggable transceiver that makes these laser companies so valuable. Then afterward, they can vertically integrating upward for gross margin expansion upward like $COHR into doing the laser fabs or even substrate level. And that in my view is a very asymmetric risk/reward ratio as we've already seen this done with $LITE as they went from $2B to $80B. 2. $LPK - Is the purest exposure, without the messy financials of SKC Absolics, as the next advanced packaging shift for glass substrates. Almost every single major semi company from $INTC to Samsung are adopting glass substrates. $LPK is basically $ASML of this chokepoint, since they supply to ~80% of the global players currently. Yes, there's "trade cycles" for equipment suppliers like $ASML, where if there's more foundry capex, ASML scales up. But if there's downturns, these tend to perform poorly, and don't capture all the volume ramp that happens after. However, if the MC is $650m and they're making $100-200M, revenue per costumer volume ramped, the amount they make from the glass substrate cycle will likely exceed current valuations. And they'll have baseline fundamentals (as more companies adopt the packaging shift), that keeps their valuation up. It's just a waiting game for volume ramp at this point. 3. $AAOI - This is literally $INTC but for America + Photonics. It's like saying Intel is not a long term investment. Guess where all your optical transcivers are made? China. Thailand. Malaysia. If you look at Innolight, Eoptolink, $FN, and others. AOI is building the largest Made in America supply chains for both CW laser fab, as well as 800g, 1.6T assembly. Yes, there are pluggable cycle ups and downs to this as well. There's going to be a wave for 1.6T next year, then CPO cannibalizes pluggables down the road. But since they make the entire supply chain in house, they have extreme optionality for other segments. And like $NVDA older gen-GPUs, there's going to be sovereign DC requirements for older gen pluggables from names like $AAOI. It's likely going to keep rising as it hits that $400m+/month revenue target H2 2026. There's just a lot of different short term volatility along the way like the $600m dilution. 4. $IQE - ??? It's one of the most important players in the Western word for epiwafers. $MTSI went out of their way to pay off IQE's debt because they can't have them going under. $IQE is also supplying to $LITE. The world is currently bottlenecked both on the epiwafer level from Landmark comments and InP substrate levels. Their financials were track but the raw book value, and value they hold to the entire Western supply chain... completely justifies their valuation. And other optical companies will not let their core upstream supply chain go under. As these tens of millions worth of materials would screw up tens of billions worth of downstream products. Again photonics is the next generation architecture required to scale AI. It's not Quantum where it's just "In development". It's literally here and the architecture of choice by $NVDA. I would not be surprised if all of these are a lot higher in 3-4 years time. People who think it's one and done in 3 months time "only because I mentioned it" don't know what they're talking about. Institutions would have bought up the name eventually (like Point 72 on $IQE) and retail would only find out after their valuations are 600% higher. Should really do the research before adding comments like these: These are all forward growth companies that require in-depth supply chain knowledge.

@blackpanthercapMay 11, 2026 · 5:32 PM

Wall Street haven’t figured $PENG role out yet.. when they do, it will explode. Here’s everything you need to know and why $NVDA $AAOI $MU $SNDK will need to rely on them, at one point: $PENG provides the *end-to-end architecture* required to make components work as a unified system. They design, build, and manage "AI Factories" such as massive data centers optimized for AI training. Their portfolio covers: > Computing > Memory > Managed Services They solve the "Memory Wall" (the bottleneck between the processor and data) by owning memory technology and system integration expertise. And acts as the integrator layer, the "glue" that assembles raw components into a functioning supercomputer. Penguin’s uniqueness lies at the intersection of Memory and HPC (High-Performance Computing). Most integrators focus only on the compute (GPUs), but Penguin understands that the "Memory Wall" (the speed gap between the processor and the data storage) is the BIGGEST bottleneck in AI. They are one of the few players that own the memory technology (through their SMART Modular brand) and the system-level integration expertise. To give you an understanding of their position: Tier 1: Component Providers (The Raw Materials) $NVDA provides the Blackwell GPUs that serve as the engines of the factory. $MU provides High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM), while $MRAM provides persistent memory for reliability. $SNDK provides high-speed SSDs, and $P provides the all-flash arrays required to feed massive datasets to GPUs without lag. $AAOI provides the "nervous system" through 800G and 1.6T optical transceivers that move data between GPUs. $POET and $SIVE provide photonics to replace copper wires with light-speed links. $LPK provides precision manufacturing for the circuit boards these components inhabit. Tier 2: The Architect & Integrator (The Brain) This is the center. Penguin takes the chips $NVDA, memory $MU, storage $P, and networking $AAOI and "weaves" them together. They perform the "racking, stacking, and testing". Tier 3: Infrastructure Operators $NBIS & $IREN. These are the customers. They build the physical power, shells, and the AI cloud. They rely on Penguin for the technical deployment and managed services to keep fleets running 24/7. If the AI revolution is a gold mine, $NVDA and $MU are the pickaxes, $P and $AAOI are the conveyors and bins, $IREN and $NBIS are the ‘owners’, and $PENG Solutions is the engineering firm that builds and manages the entire operation. -BP NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.

@aleabitoredditApr 30, 2026 · 3:40 PM

Thoughts on LPKF Laser < $LPK / $LPKFF> earnings: Very nuanced, here's what markets might have missed: If you look at the financials in isolation and don't understand qualification cycles, it's bad. The earnings call for volume ramp indicators are what's actually important. 1. "Potential volume orders in Advanced Packaging are not included in this baseline guidance" Any volume production equipment order that lands H2 will act as an immediate upside surprise to their projections. (positive) 2. "LIDE is currently in use by numerous semiconductor customers in test and R&D environments; the expected follow-up orders..." Confirmation of what we expected, with many semiconductor companies qualifying $LPK. (positive) 3. "First production orders expected this year" Inflection point of volume ramp confirmation H2 2026, this is probably the biggest signal markets missed + no projections included around that. (very positive) From previous interviews we can stitch together: Q: 2027 as the start of mass production for glass substrates. Does this timeline still hold? "Yes. Market players are preparing orders for production equipment, and initial orders have already been recorded in the first quarter. While challenges remain, I still expect 2027 to mark the beginning of mass production." 2027 is mass production of glass core substrates, but H2 2026 is start of mass production orders for $LPK, **which is not included in any forecasts**. We got confirmation of timelines from earnings. Basically: -> You won't see any projections/financials around glass core substrate related VOLUME RAMP which is the only thing American investors care about with this company. -> Earnings in isolation were objectively terrible, but you only care about this as a European if you model based on previous 12 months only (instead of future growth). -> Confirmation of volume ramp starting H2. Glass Core substrate mass production 2027. If anything, this was extremely positive for the core thesis about volume ramp for glass core substrates. We'll see how much the orders are though.