China Surges Past Americas and Japan in IC Capacity
Back in 2012, China ranked fifth among seven regions worldwide in IC wafer capacity but surged past the Americas and Japan in 2018 and 2019 to claim the number three position (figure 1). That’s a big deal given that ICs account for the largest share...
Tough Times for Silicon Wafer Market Continue After Two Consecutive Quarters of Revenue Decline
The silicon wafer market got off to a rough start in 2019 with major silicon wafer manufacturers’ sales weakening in the first quarter of the year following a sharper memory market downturn than expected. Earnings forecasts for the rest of the year...
Korea Expected to Maintain Equipment Spending Lead Over Other Regional Markets
Despite recent global economic uncertainties and a downbeat memory market outlook for the second half of 2019, new 300mm fab construction in Korea is still going strong. The graph below, based on the SEMI World Fab Forecast and WWSEMS reports, shows...
How Much Further to Bottom of this Memory Cycle?
In announcing its Q2 fiscal 2019 results, Micron Technology, Inc. provided lower-than-expected revenue guidance of between $46 billion and $50 billion for the current quarter. However, what was particularly noteworthy was the company’s announcement...
Part 1 of 2: The End of the Memory Growth Rally? Where Are We in the Memory Inventory Cycle?
Micron, one of the top three memory semiconductor companies, reported solid results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 (June to August) to extend a multi-quarter string of strong growth. However, the company’s mediocre guidance for the current...
SEMI FabView Update: More Investments in Semiconductor Fabs
SEMI FabView update for calendar year Q3 2018
Global fab construction investment shows continuing strength, with 19 new fab projects expected to begin construction in 2019 and 2020, based on the latest data published in SEMI’s World Fab Forecast. ...
Record Equipment Spending Streak Continues in 2018 and 2019
Christian G. Dieseldorff, Industry Research & Statistics Group, SEMI (June 12, 2018)