Global semiconductor equipment sales are expected to rebound 53 percent next year after hitting a record low this year as chip companies slowed capacity expansion during the economic slump, industry association SEMI said yesterday.
SEMI yesterday raised its forecast of semiconductor equipment sales to US$24.5 billion next year, up from its estimate of US$20.74 in July. This year, sales should drop at a slower rate to US$16.03 billion it said, compared with its estimate of US$14.14 billion six months ago.
GROWTH DRIVERS
Improved spending by NAND flash makers, contract chipmakers and packaging subcontractors are expected to be key growth drivers next year, SEMI said.
“There has been recent improvement in equipment bookings and we anticipate a significant growth off the bottom with expectations of double-digit growth in the next two years,” Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, said in a press release.
Extending growth momentum into 2011, sales of new equipment may grow another 28 percent to US$31.2 billion, exceeding last year’s US$29.52 billion, the association said.
GLOBAL CRISIS
“Worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales have declined to the lowest annual levels since 1994 as the global economic crisis and industry downturn caused the world’s chip makers to significantly curtail spending and expansion,” Myers said in the statement.
Wafer processing equipment, the largest product segment by dollar value, is expected to bounce back by 54 percent to US$18.37 billion next year and by an additional 28 percent in 2011 to US$23.6 billion.
TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s top contract chipmaker, has hiked its capital spending twice this year to US$2.7 billion and plans to spend more next year in hopes of achieving growth.
TSMC chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) raised his forecast for the chip market, predicting 10 percent growth in revenue next year, up from his earlier estimate of 5 percent.
This year, the wafer processing market is expected to shrink 46 percent to US$11.95 billion from US$22.03 billion last year, SEMI’s statistics showed.
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