GlobalWafers Co., Ltd. (“GlobalWafers” or the “Company”; TPEx: 6488) today announced that it has completed the pricing of its offering of global depositary shares (“GDSs”) on September 22, 2026, raising total proceeds of US$1,432 million (approximately NT$45.4 billion). GlobalWafers’ common shares performed strongly on the pricing date, closing up 4.3%, and the Company completed the pricing at a time when its share price stood at a two-week high, reflecting the capital markets’ recognition of the Company’s operational progress and medium- to long-term growth momentum. The offering comprises 50,000,000 GDSs, each representing one common share of the Company, which are expected to be listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and traded on its Euro MTF market. The GDSs were priced at US$28.64 per unit, equivalent to approximately NT$908.32 per common share, representing a discount of approximately 6.46% to the closing price of NT$971 of GlobalWafers’ common shares on the Taipei Exchange on the pricing date, following the share price increase noted above. The proceeds of the offering will be used for the procurement of raw materials in foreign currencies and for the investment in overseas subsidiaries, with the investment in overseas subsidiaries to be used primarily to fund capacity expansion.
Since the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI), global investment in advanced computing power and data center infrastructure has continued to climb, providing long-term momentum for the semiconductor industry. GlobalWafers is optimistic about the long-term development of the semiconductor industry. As industry demand gradually recovers, and driven by the long-term growth trends in key applications such as artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, high-bandwidth memory, advanced packaging, thermal management solutions and silicon photonics, the outlook for semiconductor wafer demand is promising. At the same time, the global semiconductor supply chain is moving toward regionalization and localization, with customers placing increasing emphasis on supply chain resilience and local-for-local sourcing, further underscoring the importance of a global manufacturing footprint and the ability to supply customers locally. As one of the world’s top three semiconductor wafer manufacturers, GlobalWafers has in recent years undertaken the largest capacity expansion program in its history across the United States, Europe and Asia. As the new capacity progressively enters production and ramps up, GlobalWafers will continue to strengthen its global supply footprint – leveraging its advanced manufacturing sites across three continents and its comprehensive product portfolio – to capture the market opportunities arising from the long-term growth of the semiconductor industry and the localization of the supply chain.
GlobalWafers’ global capacity expansion program of recent years is progressively entering its harvest stage. The Company’s new facility in Texas has been qualified by several Tier-1 customers and its output continues to scale, while a key customer’s recent long-term agreement and strategic funding support have further enhanced demand visibility for the Texas facility; output from the newly expanded 12-inch SOI wafer capacity at the Company’s Missouri site has also increased significantly; and in Japan, the Niigata plant is expected to set another quarterly revenue record in the third quarter, following its record second quarter this year, while the Utsunomiya plant continues to deliver strong shipment results. Existing 12-inch capacity is fully utilized and 8-inch utilization remains high, with clear customer demand and continuously improving visibility. Looking ahead, the semiconductor industry recovery has broadened from artificial intelligence and high-performance computing to a wider range of end applications. The simultaneous expansion of AI logic and memory capacity continues to drive demand growth for the niche products required by advanced process nodes and specialty applications, while the industrial, automotive, communications and consumer electronics markets are also gradually recovering. Amid the trend toward supply chain regionalization and localization, GlobalWafers’ localized manufacturing footprint spanning the globe, together with its U.S.-based production capabilities for 12-inch advanced silicon wafers and SOI wafers, further strengthens its competitive advantages.
The transaction marks GlobalWafers’ return to the international capital markets following the US$689 million GDS offering it completed in March 2024. It is the third-largest global depositary receipt (GDR) offering by a Taiwanese issuer on record. The Company launched the transaction into a favorable market window and the offering was fully covered shortly thereafter, attracting participation from international institutional investors including long-only funds, technology-focused funds and existing shareholders, with final orders reaching approximately 4 times the offering size. The outcome fully demonstrates international institutional investors’ recognition of, and confidence in, GlobalWafers’ long-term development strategy, its global manufacturing footprint, and the long-term demand outlook for semiconductor wafers.
“The support that this global depositary shares (GDS) offering has received from the international capital markets and investors fully reflects the market’s confidence in GlobalWafers’ global footprint and long-term growth potential. It also further strengthens the Company’s financial structure and funding flexibility, providing more ample resources for our future business development, and is therefore of particular significance to GlobalWafers. As our new capacity across the United States, Europe and Asia progressively enters production and ramps up, and with semiconductor market demand gradually recovering, GlobalWafers will continue to capture the long-term growth opportunities driven by key applications such as artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, and to strengthen our global supply capabilities and competitive advantages. We sincerely thank the international capital markets and our investors around the world for their trust in and support of GlobalWafers. We will continue to enhance our overall operating performance and create long-term value for our shareholders,” said Doris Hsu, Chairperson and CEO of GlobalWafers.
J.P. Morgan Securities plc acted as Sole Global Coordinator and Sole Bookrunner for the offering.