1Q26 AIoT Demand Remained Strong
发布时间:2026-04-17 来源:华泰证券
Rockchip has reported 2025 revenue of RMB4.4bn (+40.36% YoY), an attributable NP of RMB1.04bn (+74.82% YoY), and a recurring NP of RMB1.01bn (+87.39% YoY). This was broadly in line with our previous expectations. For 4Q25, revenue was RMB1.26bn (+29.07% YoY, 15.08% QoQ), while the attributable NP was RMB260mn (+7.08% YoY, +4.81% QoQ,) and the recurring NP was RMB253mn (+29.76% YoY, +5.29% QoQ). Since 3Q25, rising memory prices have led some customers to delay projects or consider switching solutions. Even so, the company’s major downstream brand customers have shown strong resilience to cyclical volatility, while emerging device-side products such as 3D printing and robots are less sensitive to higher memory prices. Conditions had already improved in 4Q25. Together with the year-end peak season, the company delivered solid QoQ revenue growth, with the gross margin also picking up by 1.59pp QoQ to 42.39%. However, the attributable NP grew more slowly than revenue QoQ mainly on higher expense accruals. On-device AI applications are developing rapidly. The company’s flagship chips and coprocessor products have first-mover advantages and leading positioning, and should be key beneficiaries. Maintain BUY.
High-end products kept ramping up, notably lifting profitability
For 2025, all of the company’s business lines delivered strong growth. Revenue from smart application processor chips, mixed-signal chips, and other chips (PMICs and interface chips) reached RMB3.93bn, RMB360mn, and RMB100mn, up by 41.65%, 25.98%, and 68.91% YoY, respectively. The smart application processor chip business maintained a high growth rate, mainly driven by the flagship product RK3588 and newer product RK3576, which continued to lead rapid growth across AIoT product lines, especially in key areas such as automotive electronics, industrial applications, machine vision, and various robotics segments. On profitability, the company benefited from continued optimization of its product sales mix, as high-end product lines such as RK3588 and RK3576 ramped up. The gross margin rose by 4.36pp YoY to 41.95% in 2025, while the gross margin for smart application processor chips reached 40.7%, up by 4.53pp YoY. On the expense side, the company maintained high R&D spending, with full-year R&D expenses at RMB684mn, up by 21.2% YoY. Benefiting from scale effects, the R&D expense ratio declined, while the attributable NP margin rose by 4.65pp YoY to 23.62%.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
On-device AI innovation applications continue to emerge. With its leading SoC and coprocessor positioning, we expect the company to maintain its competitive edge in China’s domestic SoC market and enter a new growth cycle. We forecast revenue of RMB5.51bn, RMB6.82bn, and RMB8.22bn for 2026, 2027, and 2028, rising by 25%, 24%, and 20% YoY, respectively. We forecast attributable NP of RMB1.34bn, RMB1.70bn, and RMB2.09bn, rising by 29%, 27%, and 23% YoY, respectively. The company is a domestic SoC leader. Its multi-tier general processor + coprocessor solutions can meet customers’ diverse needs and support strong growth potential. We apply 75x 2026E PE, a premium over its peers’ average of 62.8x on Wind consensus, to our earnings estimates. Our target price is RMB238.30 (previously RMB232.10, on 75x 2026E PE). Maintain BUY.
Risks: changes in product definition; failure to meet market promotion expectations; impact of Sino-US relations changes on tape-out; intensified market competition.