DIGI⁺ Taiwan

The global semiconductor industry association, SEMI, offered a bright forecast for semiconductor market developments in 2021, anticipating high growth from data centers, high performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G applications.

Speaking at the Grand Hyatt in Taipei on Wednesday (March 3), SEMI Taiwan President Terry Tsao (曹世綸) said 2020 “was a year of good harvests for Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with the total output value reaching NT$3 trillion (US$10.34 billion), which was the second highest globally and represented growth of 20.7 percent year-on-year.”

Tsao predicted the development trend would continue for Taiwan in 2021, further solidifying the country’s position as an important base for next-generation information technology.

Pointing out that trade wars have had a bigger impact on the global semiconductor market than the pandemic, Clark Tseng (曾瑞榆), Director of Industry Research and Statistics at SEMI, said the manufacturing, equipment, and material markets for the semiconductor industry are expected to continue growing in 2021.

He said global 12-inch wafer OEM production capacity would have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 10 percent from 2020 to 2024, with the sub-5-nanometer product segment having the strongest growth momentum.

Tseng predicted that Taiwan’s 12-inch wafer OEM production capacity would continue to lead the world, accounting for over 50 percent of global capacity. For global 8-inch wafer production capacity, he suggested a CAGR of 3 percent from 2020 to 2024.

As for development of the global semiconductor equipment market, he said that sales of global original equipment manufacturers (OEM) reached US$69 billion last year, with a record shattering 16 percent growth year-on-year. He said that double-digit growth with sales breaking US$76 billion are expected for this year. Taiwan is also expected to recover its leading position in the sector this year.

The global materials market had a growth rate of 5 percent in 2020, Tseng said, adding that he expected the sector to top last year with a 6 percent annual growth rate and a record-breaking market of over US$58 billion.

Date: 2021-03-03
Source: Taiwan News