GCT Semiconductor Holding, Inc. (GCTS) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Thank you. Good afternoon. Thank you for attending GCT Semiconductor Holding, Inc. Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results Call. [Operator Instructions] Joining the call today are GCT's Chief Executive Officer, John Schlaefer, and Edmund Chung, CFO, to discuss our second quarter 2026 results. During the call, certain statements we make will be forward-looking. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those set forth in our Safe Harbor provision for forward-looking statements that can be found at the end of our earnings press release and also in our Form 10-Q that will be filed today, which provide further detail about the risks related to our business. Additionally, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Our call and earnings release include presentation of non-GAAP financial measures. We use non-GAAP measures because we believe they provide useful information about our operating performance that should be considered by investors in conjunction with the GAAP measures. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures is included in our earnings release. I would now like to turn the conference over to John Schlaefer. Please sir, go ahead.

Thank you, and thanks to everyone for joining us today for our second quarter 2026 earnings call. I'll begin by discussing the operational progress we've made during the second quarter and provide an update on where we stand in the commercialization of our 5G platform. Following my remarks, our Chief Financial Officer, Edmund Chung, will review our second quarter financial results in more detail. When we spoke with you last quarter, we highlighted that 2026 would be a year of continued commercialization as our customers progress from development and integration into early deployments of our 5G chipset. That progression has continued, and the second quarter demonstrates the importance of working closely with customers as they advance through their respective commercialization milestones. While the broader macro environment of several of our customers has influenced the timing of certain deployment schedules, we have not seen any change in the underlying level of customer engagement or the long-term demand of our technology. And rather than viewing the second quarter through the lens of financial performance, we believe it is more meaningful to view it as another important step forward in building a diversified pipeline for the anticipated 5G commercialization ramp. One of our priorities entering 2026 was to broaden the opportunity at hand beyond any single customer, application, or end market. Today, we believe we have made meaningful progress toward that objective. Our 5G pipeline now spans 3 strategic growth pillars: terrestrial broadband, satellite and non-terrestrial connectivity, and industrial IoT and specialized networking applications. We believe this diversification strengthens the long-term opportunity for GCT while reducing our dependence on any individual customer deployment. Beginning with terrestrial broadband, throughout the year, we've advanced multiple FWA and CPE programs with carrier, OEM, and ODM partners. Engineering activities, product integration, and certification efforts progressed across these programs. While several customer deployment schedules shifted modestly, these initiatives are moving forward, and we are encouraged by the progress across our partner ecosystem. As operators invest in next-generation broadband infrastructure, we believe our technology is well positioned to support these deployments and participate in the long-term growth of this market. Next, within satellite and non-terrestrial connectivity, we continue expanding our engagement with partners developing direct-to-device and hybrid satellite cellular solutions. We believe this is one of the most compelling long-term opportunities for our technology as terrestrial and satellite networks increasingly converge. Throughout the quarter, we advanced development and certification activities with several partners and remain confident in the role our modem technology can play in enabling seamless connectivity across multiple network environments. Our third strategic growth pillar is IoT and specialized networking applications, where we are expanding our presence across industrial, positioning, aviation, and defense-related markets. Subsequent to the quarter end, we signed a new customer supporting UAV and defense-related connectivity. While confidentiality provisions prevent us from naming that customer today, we believe this relationship further validates the flexibility and scalability of our platform while extending our reach into another attractive vertical. These efforts are translating into measurable progress as customers advance through their respective commercialization phases. During the second quarter, we shipped more than 5,100 5G chipsets, representing approximately 71% sequential growth compared to the first quarter. This growth reflects increasing customer engagement across our targeted markets as programs progress through development, certification, and early deployment phases. While the timing of our individual customer ramps can vary, we believe the momentum behind our platform and growing adoption of our technology provides a strong foundation as we continue scaling 5G chipset commercialization. Across each of these markets, the common theme remains the same. Customer engagement continues to increase, our pipeline continues to broaden, and the underlying demand environment remains healthy. The primary variable today is deployment timing rather than customer interest. As customers complete certification activities and finalize deployment schedules, the timing of commercial production may shift modestly from quarter to quarter, but we remain confident in the long-term opportunity ahead. Our focus continues to be on execution. We are investing in our manufacturing readiness, strengthening our supply chain, supporting customer deployments, and ensuring we are prepared to scale production as commercialization accelerates. While there will inevitably be quarter-to-quarter variability as customers complete their deployment plans, we believe the work we are doing today positions GCT for sustained long-term growth. Overall, we believe the second quarter represents another meaningful milestone in our transition from development to commercialization. The foundations we have built across our technology, customer relationships, and strategic partnerships continues to strengthen, and we are excited about the opportunity ahead. With that, I'll turn the call over to Edmund to discuss our second quarter results. Edmund?

Thank you, John. As John discussed, we view the second quarter as another important step in our commercialization journey. While our reported financial results continue to reflect a business in the early stages of transitioning from development into commercialization, the progress we are making with customers continues to reinforce our confidence in the significant long-term opportunity ahead. One measure of that progress was the continued ramp in 5G chipset shipments, with more than 5,100 units shipped during the second quarter, representing approximately 71% sequential growth. This growth reflects ongoing advancement of customer programs through integration, certification, and early deployment activities. Before reviewing our financial results, I would like to note that starting from this quarter, we are introducing Adjusted EBITDA as an additional supplemental performance metric. Because our reported GAAP results include significant non-cash fair value adjustments associated with our warrant liability, we believe Adjusted EBITDA provides investors with a more meaningful view of the underlying operating performance of the business as we continue investing in commercialization. With that, I will now review our second quarter 2026 financial results. Further details can be found in the Form 10-Q that will be on file with the SEC. Net revenues decreased by $0.2 million or 18% from $1.2 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2025, to $1 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2026. The change was due to a decrease of $0.2 million in service revenues reflecting the shift to 5G service offerings. Product sales were consistent year-over-year with growth in 5G product sales. Also, our revenue for the first half of this year slightly exceeds the revenue for the full year of 2025. Cost of net revenues increased by $0.4 million, or 49%, from $0.8 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2025, to $1.2 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2026, largely costs from increased unit volume. Our gross margin was 32% for the 3 months ended June 30, 2025. Our gross margin for the 3 months ended June 30, 2026, was negative and not representative of our expectations regarding profitability of our products and services in future reporting periods. We expect gross margins to improve as 5G product sales increases and contribute more significantly to the overall revenue. Research and development expenses decreased by $0.2 million from $3.5 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2025, to $3.3 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2026, primarily due to the completion of our 5G chip design project, which results in a $0.5 million reduction in professional services from Alpha, as well as a $0.1 million decrease in stock-based compensation expense. This reduction was partially offset by a $0.4 million increase in payroll-related costs. Sales and marketing expenses remain consistent year-over-year, totaling $1.1 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2025, compared to $1 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2026. General and administrative expenses decreased by $0.6 million from $3.4 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2025, compared to $2.8 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2026. The decrease was primarily due to a lower loss resulting from changes in the allowance for credit losses on accounts receivable. That loss increased by $8.1 million from $13.5 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2025, to $20.4 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2026. Net loss for Q2 2026 also included $12.3 million in losses from change in fair value of common stock warrant liabilities, driven by increases in our common stock price and the market price of our publicly traded warrants during the quarter. Adjusted EBITDA loss decreased by $0.1 million from $6.7 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2025, to $6.6 million for the 3 months ended June 30, 2026. While we have not previously reported Adjusted EBITDA loss, we see our stabilized performance here as an important indicator. Shifting to liquidity, we finished the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $30.2 million. With this improved liquidity, we have the financial flexibility and resources to support the commercial ramp of our customer programs. And by now, we have already secured the required production capacity for the remainder of 2026 and through the first quarter of 2027 in anticipation of the expected chip demand. We also have access to our ATM equity program, which we initiated in April of 2025. During the quarter, we amended the agreement to increase the maximum aggregated gross proceeds available under the program from $75 million to $120 million, while the total shelf registration maximum capacity remains unchanged at $200 million. These resources provide us with flexibility to support and execute our commercialization strategy as we scale production of our 5G chips. We also have net accounts receivable of $1.1 million and net inventory of $1.5 million. Entering the second half of the year, our financial priorities are unchanged. While customer deployment timelines can progress at various phases, we continue to expect second half shipments to exceed first half levels as commercialization progresses. Our focus is on disciplined capital allocation, supporting customer production ramps, and converting our growing commercial pipeline into sustainable long-term revenue growth. Although the timing of customer deployments may continue to fluctuate in the near term, we believe the long-term opportunity remains significant, especially in the 3 strategic pillars which John has mentioned. The investment we have made over the past several years positions GCT well for the next phase of growth. With this, I will turn it back to John.

Thanks, Edmund. As we've discussed today, the second quarter was another important step in advancing our commercialization strategy. As the pace of customer deployments continues to evolve, the breadth of our customer engagements, technology platform, and strategic partnerships continues to expand, reinforcing our confidence in the long-term opportunity ahead. We continue to expect to ship more and more 5G chipsets with the second half of 2026 surpassing the first half in quantity of chips and customers we are shipping to. We remain focused on execution. We are supporting customer launch preparation, expanding manufacturing readiness, strengthening our strategic partnerships, and positioning the business to convert our growing pipeline into meaningful long-term revenue growth. We believe the foundation we've built over the past several years places GCT in a strong position as 5G chipset commercialization continues to accelerate, and we remain excited about the opportunities in front of us. I'd like to thank our employees for their continued dedication, our customers and partners for their collaboration, and our shareholders for their continued support and confidence in GCT. I will now turn the call back over to the operator, who will assist us in taking your questions.

Thank you. [Operator Instructions] Our first question is going to come from the line of Craig Ellis with B. Riley Securities. Your line is open. Please go ahead.

I wanted to start just by understanding some of the dynamics that were at play as we look back at Q2. You mentioned that there were program shifts and a few other headwinds. Size, how big those were, either from a unit standpoint or a revenue standpoint.

Yes, I would say that all we can really say right now is that they were meaningful in the quarter and we thought that we would have significantly higher revenue in the quarter, but because of these things they've pushed out. So they're still very much alive and very much viable, and we believe that we'll see this in the later part of the year.

Good for you. And then understanding the shipments in a little bit more detail, the company shipped 5,100 units. John, how many customers were those shipments to? Was it up from the 2 that I think we had in the prior quarter?

Yes, this was to primarily 4 customers. And these were across, I would say, 4 different applications, almost equally across FWA, aviation, and a mobile hotspot with an additional application added for like a push-to-talk phone application.

Okay. So it sounds like some of the broadening interests that you talked about was already visible there inside of the second quarter. All right. So I think one of the things that came up a couple times in the comments was that there the units underpinning customer programs or something you now have line of sight to through the first quarter of 2027. Can you provide some more color on how many customer programs we're seeing through 1Q '27? And I know you expect units to be up in the second half of this calendar year, half-on-half. Can you help us with what the unit optics look like when we look out to 1Q '27 as well?

Sure. Yes, so we're hesitant to provide that sort of guidance at this point. I think it's reflective of what we've seen so far. So it's the front end and the variability on these customer programs, but they're all working feverishly to get their ramps started. We did say that we had visibility and we were planning the wafer supply so that we've secured that through Q1. This is in anticipation of what we believe is a relatively large ramp.

Okay. Okay. So relatively large. Okay. Good. All right. Then lastly for me, John, we've identified terrestrial broadband, satellite, and non-terrestrial, and IoT and specialized products as 3 vectors where there are degrees of customer interest in solution uptake. Can you talk more about where you see the greatest near-term volume interest and maybe contrast that with or specify if it's there too with where you're seeing breadth of customer interest across those and can you quantify how many customers are seeing across all of those and maybe compare it to what you saw at Mobile World Congress where I think you met with over 50 different potential customers?

So I would say that right now the most significant from a revenue uptake is going to be in the terrestrial broadband and the satellite and non-terrestrial connectivity. And that's just because these are applications that we're very mature with in the FWA space and the satellite space that we've been working on for a while. There's a lot of latent activity that has not ran yet and these are the 2 areas that we have high expectations for. In the IoT and specialized network, that has probably the most breadth in it, and actually breadth of applications, as you can imagine for IoT, I mean all those machine-to-machine applications that are very vast in quantity. But also for IoT as well, you can imagine too that the ASPs are a little lower than they would be in the FWA satellite space.

Got it. And can you specify, or maybe I've missed it, where you see the highest volume between here and 1Q '27 within those 3 areas? Would it be terrestrial broadband and satellite non-terrestrial?

I would say probably equally in the first 2 that I mentioned, the terrestrial broadband satellite and non-terrestrial connectivity. The IoT and specialized networks, like I said, there's a lot of breadth there and a lot of activities that have just begun. And the ASPs there will be a little lower than we're seeing in the other areas.

Got it. Okay, with that I'll hop back in the queue. Thank you, John.

Thank you, Craig.

Thank you, and one moment for our next question. Our next question is going to come from the line of Scott Buck with [ Titan Partners ]. Your line is open. Please go ahead.

So I think you said earlier that you've already secured required production capacity for the remainder of 2026 and through the first quarter of 2027. What does that entail in terms of purchase or take-or-pay obligations? And I guess what I really want to know what your exposure is if the delayed customer launches continue to slip?

Yes, so what it basically means is we're talking about wafer capacity, which is everybody's talking about right now because if fabs are full, the fab capacity is being used for memory and so forth. So having wafer capacity committed to us is very important. So, and, you know, with regard to slip, I think we're actually right sized in our capacity, but if that were to happen, you know, we could slow down our purchases in the future, and there's nothing perishable here that's going to happen. Unfortunately, on the wafers that we have right now, we can produce all the SKUs that we need for all of these applications. So there's nothing that is custom by application until you get to the very, very end. So I think on the front end and having a wafer capacity secured and so forth, it really doesn't have any negative effects from a supply standpoint if things were to push out.

Okay, that's very helpful, John. And then my second question just on liquidity but more so cash burn, I'm curious. How should we be thinking about quarterly cash burn over the next 4 to 6 quarters? And at some point, do you have to spend more here or burn more here in the near term to hit that inflection point, I guess, on the commercialization front, or should we expect steady burn trends from here until we start to see a real ramp in the top line?

Scott, that's a very good question. Supply chain, very tight environment from that sense, as John has alluded to from that perspective. The foundries are basically full. The production schedule has been all the way scheduled to first quarter of next year. We are actually in Q2, we have actually prepaid all the way to the end of this year. From that perspective, that actually in a way, it normally increases our cash burn for Q2, and if you take a look at it, our Q2 cash burn is affected by $7 million to $7.5 million because of that portion of the supply chain situation there. Going forward, we have a 6-month rolling type of situation that we will normalize to from that perspective, and that would not have the as severe type of impact as in Q2, and what we are looking at it is, in Q1, we anticipate our cash burn on a quarterly basis is between $8 million to $8.5 million per quarter. Now with this tight supply chain situation, we anticipate our cash burn to be between $9 million to $9.5 million per quarter from that sense and we are managing it from that perspective as you also have alluded to is, we can adjust our future plans payment for the wafer depending on our inventory and our demand situation. We can either ramp up or ramp down depending on our inventory and demand situation. We can rebalance that also including our cash flow as well.

Okay, perfect. That's very helpful, Edmund. I appreciate that. That's all I had, guys. I appreciate the extra time.