Taiwan was the world’s largest buyer of materials to produce semiconductors for the ninth consecutive year last year, the US-based Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Institute (SEMI) said yesterday.
Materials purchased for semiconductor and wafer production, and IC packaging and testing totaled US$11.45 billion in Taiwan last year, up 11 percent from 2017, SEMI data showed.
Market analysts said that it was no surprise that Taiwan remained the No. 1 buyer of semiconductor materials, as it makes the most contract chips and is the largest supply base of IC packaging and testing services.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) is the world’s largest pure foundry operator, while ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投資控股) is the largest IC packaging and testing services provider.
Global sales of semiconductor materials hit a new high of US$51.9 billion last year, up 10.6 percent from 2017, with last year’s figure topping the previous high of US$47.1 billion seen in 2011, the data showed.
Global sales of wafer materials reached US$32.2 billion, up 15.9 percent from 2017, while materials for IC packaging and testing services reached US$19.7 billion, up 3 percent, the data showed.
South Korea came in second, up one notch from 2017, with US$8.72 billion in purchases, up 16 percent from 2017, the data showed.
The growth in South Korean purchasing was the highest worldwide, the institute said.
China fell one notch to No. 3, with US$8.44 billion in purchases, up 11 percent from 2017, followed by Japan with US$7.69 billion, up 9 percent, SEMI added.
Purchases in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and other nations in Southeast Asia rose 7 percent from 2017 to US$6.21 billion, followed by North America (US$5.61 billion; up 6 percent) and Europe (US$3.82 billion; up 14 percent), the institute said.
SEMI said that its members aim to develop innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices and services to provide smarter, faster, more powerful and more affordable electronic products.
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