The Semiconductor Equipment Industry, Which Set Monthly Records, Sees First Sales Decline This Year... "Demand Remains Strong"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The global semiconductor manufacturing equipment industry's sales, which had been increasing every month this year, setting record highs, have decreased for the first time in eight months and for the first time this year.

According to the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) on the 21st, the equipment order value of North American semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies last month was $3.65 billion, down 5.4% from the previous month. Compared to the same period last year, the order value increased by 37.6%.

The order value mentioned by SEMI refers to equipment supply contract orders and is used interchangeably with the sales of semiconductor equipment companies. SEMI announces the monthly order trends of North American semiconductor equipment companies based on a three-month average. Since major semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies are mainly located in North America, this data is considered a useful indicator to gauge future trends in the semiconductor industry.

(Source: Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI))

The equipment order value of North American semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies recorded an all-time high of $3.0382 billion in January this year and continued to break this record every month until July. The year-on-year growth rate for each month up to July this year was around 50%, but last month it slightly dropped to the 30% range. The order value is the lowest level in the past three months.

Ajit Manocha, CEO of SEMI, stated, "After eight months of remarkable record-breaking, sales in August slightly eased compared to July," but he also forecasted, "Nevertheless, order values are expected to continue showing strong demand for semiconductor equipment and robust year-on-year growth rates."

Earlier, SEMI predicted that global semiconductor fab-related capital investment would exceed this year's record high of $90 billion and reach around $100 billion next year. The country expected to invest the most in semiconductor fab equipment next year is South Korea, with an estimated $30 billion, followed by Taiwan ($26 billion), China ($17 billion), Japan ($9 billion), and Europe and the Middle East ($8 billion), according to SEMI's forecast.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.