Global semicon sales to reach US$44.33b in 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: Global semiconductor equipment sales are forecast to reach US$44.33 billion this year, according to the US-based Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturers Industry association (SEMI).

In a statement July 11 on its website, SEMI in its mid-year SEMI Capital Equipment Forecast said the equipment market would expand by 12.1% in 2011, following a 148% market increase in 2010.

“The year 2011 is likely to be the second highest spending year in history, second only to the US$48 billion spent in 2000.

“It will also be the highest spending year ever for wafer processing equipment,” it said.

SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries.

It said that the equipment market is expected to experience a slight decrease of about 1.2% in 2012, with wafer processing equipment spending declining 2%.

Meanwhile, low single-digit growth in both the test and assembly equipment markets was expected, it said.

SEMI president and CEO Stanley T Myers said semiconductor equipment manufacturers would still see a double-digit increase in spending for 2011 following a phenomenal recovery year with triple-digit growth in 2010.

"We expect worldwide equipment sales to remain at high levels in 2012,” he said.

SEMI said that wafer processing qquipment, the largest product segment by dollar value, was expected to increase 18.8% in 2011 to US$35.1 billion.

The forecast predicts that the market for both test and assembly equipment will contract in 2011, with semiconductor test equipment forecasted to decline by 5.5% (to US$3.92 billion) and assembly and packaging forecasted to decline by 18% (to US$3.18 billion).

“Growth is forecasted for all regions in 2011 with Taiwan expected to be the largest market for equipment spending in both 2011 and 2012.

“In 2011, North America will be the second largest market in equipment spending (US$9.25 billion), with an almost 61% increase in spending over the previous year. Korea will be third in terms of equipment spending (US$7.98 billion),” it said.