AI Chip Concept Stocks Watch丨SMIC (00981.HK) Falls Over 2%, Institutions Say Recent Pullback in Semiconductor Sector Not Due to Fundamental Negatives

NewTimeSpace (newtimespace.com) reported that on August 3, 2026, the chip theme weakened, with SMIC (00981.HK) fluctuating lower. As of 13:20, the stock was quoted at HKD 61.900, down 2.13%.

On the news front, South Korea's July exports surged nearly 63% year‑on‑year to USD 98.99 billion. Among them, semiconductor exports skyrocketed 179% to USD 41 billion, exceeding the USD 40 billion mark for two consecutive months. Driven by increased AI data center investment from major tech companies, South Korea's exports to the U.S. also jumped 68.7% to USD 17.4 billion.

Galaxy Securities pointed out that the recent pullback in the semiconductor sector is not due to fundamental negatives, but mainly stems from trading factors such as deleveraging, concentrated profit‑taking in the memory segment, and high‑valuation corrections. After sustained adjustments, sector risks have been fully released. The medium‑to‑long‑term theme of semiconductor equipment and advanced packaging, driven by computing power capital expenditure and domestic substitution, remains unchanged.

SMIC (00981.HK)Provides IC wafer foundry and related technical services. It is the largest pure-play wafer foundry in China by capacity and offers the broadest coverage of process nodes. Its mature and select advanced process lines address applications including smart terminals, IoT, and computing chips. Based on its periodic disclosures, wafer shipments, capacity utilization, and revenue are at historically high levels.

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