By Dagmarah Mackos

Oct 24 (Reuters) - Dutch chipmaking parts supplier BE

Semiconductor Industries (Besi) missed expectations

for third-quarter new orders on Thursday and forecast flat

fourth quarter revenues, citing shipment delays for specific

hybrid bonding systems.

Strong growth in computing end-user markets, including

hybrid bonding, photonics and AI applications, was partially

offset by ongoing weakness in automotive and Chinese markets, a

trend the company expects to persist throughout the year, it

said.

Amid rising demand for AI technology, Besi is banking on its

hybrid bonding tools used to create tighter interconnections

inside a chip, but a slower than expected recovery in automotive

and smartphone markets, along with high inventories, are raising

concerns about global semiconductor demand.

The company's order bookings fell 18% quarter-on-quarter to

151.8 million euros ($163.8 million) in the three months to the

end of September, compared with an estimate of 177 million euros

cited by Visible Alpha analysts.

Besi said it received substantial orders for hybrid bonding

systems from both existing and new customers and anticipated

additional orders in the fourth quarter as global adoption

continues to expand.

It also highlighted growing interest in its TCB Next system

from major logic and memory customers, positioning the company

well for expected growth in next-generation 2.5D packaging and

high-bandwidth memory applications.

For the fourth quarter, the company sees flat revenues, with

an estimated variation of 10%, compared with 156.6 million euros

in July-September, and a gross margin of 63-65%, down from 64.7%

in the third quarter.

Besi, which counts TSMC, Intel ( INTC ), Samsung

Electronics ( SSNLF ), and SK Hynix ( HXSCF ) among its

customers, blamed shipment delays from an unidentified customer

for hybrid bonding systems due in the fourth quarter.

Following strong pandemic demand, chipmakers built excess

capacity, but as supply chain issues eased, they delayed new

tool orders until their factories neared full capacity.

Besi added it expects a sharp increase in demand for hybrid

bonding systems in 2025, and plans to double its cleanroom

facilities in Malaysia to meet it.

($1 = 0.9267 euros)