IC distributor Answer Technology has reported net profit of NT$79 million (US$2.84 million) for the first quarter of 2021, increasing 110.81% from a year earlier, bolstered by increased sales of RF components from Qorvo.

Its first-quarter EPS more than doubled to NT$1.20, and gross margin improved 2.03pp to 12.73%, according to company sources.

Sales of Qorvo's sub-6GHz, Wi-Fi 6/6E RF components, mainly for 5G high-speed transmission applications, increased by 15-fold in the first quarter, explained the sources.

Shipments of IC verification platform products and automated testing equipment used in high-end semiconductor processes also expanded by 15% on year in the first quarter, the sources added.

Buoyed by strong pull-ins from downstream clients, Answer also saw its revenues hike by 34.57% on year to NT$563 million in April, after seeing its sales climb 28.07% from a year earlier to NT$1.536 billion in the first quarter.