Worldwide Silicon Wafer Shipments Increase 7% in Q2 2024
August 1, 2024 | SEMIEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increased 7.1% quarter-over-quarter to 3,035 million square inches (MSI) in the second quarter of 2024 but saw an 8.9% decline from the 3,331 million square inches recorded during the same quarter last year, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.
“The silicon wafer market is recovering driven by strong demand related to products for data centers and generative AI,” said Lee Chungwei, Chairman of SEMI SMG and Vice President and Chief Auditor at GlobalWafers. “While the recovery is uneven across different applications, 300mm wafer Q2 shipments indicated 8% quarter-over-quarter growth for the best performance among all wafer sizes. There are a growing number of new semiconductor fabs under construction or ramping production volume. This expansion, along with the longer-term trend toward a $1 trillion semiconductor market, will inevitably require more silicon wafers.”
Data cited in this release include polished silicon wafers, including those used as virgin test wafers, as well as epitaxial silicon wafers, and non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to end users.
Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for the majority of semiconductors, which are vital components of all electronic devices. The highly engineered thin disks are produced in diameters of up to 12 inches and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductors are fabricated.
The SMG is a sub-committee of the SEMI Electronic Materials Group (EMG) and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi). The SMG facilitates collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.
Suggested Items
TSMC Recognizes Ansys for Excellence in Design Enablement for AI, HPC, and Photonics Silicon Systems
10/28/2024 | ANSYSAnsys was recognized at the TSMC 2024 Open Innovation Platform® (OIP) Partner of the Year awards for excellence in design enablement for AI, HPC, and photonics silicon systems.
SIA Applauds CHIPS Incentives for Hemlock Manufacturing Expansion in Michigan
10/22/2024 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today released the following statement from SIA President and CEO John Neuffer applauding semiconductor manufacturing incentives announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC).
Global Silicon Wafer Shipments to Remain Soft in 2024 Before Strong Expected Rebound in 2025
10/21/2024 | SEMIGlobal shipments of silicon wafers are projected to decline 2% in 2024 to 12,174 million square inches (MSI) with a strong rebound of 10% delayed until 2025 to reach 13,328 MSI as wafer demand continues to recover from the downcycle, SEMI reported in its annual silicon shipment forecast.
SIA Applauds CHIPS Act Incentives for Wolfspeed Manufacturing in North Carolina and New York
10/16/2024 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today released the following statement from SIA President and CEO John Neuffer applauding semiconductor manufacturing incentives announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Wolfspeed.
Designer's Notebook: Heterogeneous Integration and High-density SiP Technologies
10/03/2024 | Vern Solberg -- Column: Designer's NotebookOften, our primary goal is to maximize product functionality without increasing product size. Developing a multifunction silicon-based semiconductor (system-on-chip) for a specific product application, however, requires a significant investment in both engineering and financial resources. The problem is that many of the newer generations of semiconductor die have actually increased in size, with higher I/O and terminal pitch variations that have become significantly smaller.