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2018 global semiconductor equipment sales were record $64.5B; test equipment sales jump 20%

April 10, 2019

On Wednesday, electronics product design and manufacturing supply chain association SEMI reported the key results of its new Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS) Report, which showed that last year's global semiconductor equipment sales jumped to a new yearly record, while test equipment sales also had a significant

The report said that worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment surged to a total of $64.5 billion in 2018, up 14% from 2017's $56.62 billion. The 2018 figure is an all-time high.

Breaking down sales by country, Korea had the largest market for semiconductor equipment for a second-straight year, totaling $17.71 in 2018 sales despite a 1% year-to-year decrease. China's 2018 sales soared 59% year-over-year, allowing it to leapfrog Taiwan to finish second with $13.11 billion in sales, while Taiwan's 2018 sales fell 12% to a total of $10.17 billion and third-best. Japan's annual spending rate surged 46% in 2018, while Rest of World (+26%) and Europe (15%) each had solid growth. North America's spending rate bumped up 4%. 

SEMI said that sales for the global wafer processing equipment market segment rose 15%, while other front-end segment sales jumped 9%. Total test equipment sales increased 20%, while assembly and packaging sales increased 2%.

Compiled from data submitted by members of SEMI and the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan, the Worldwide SEMS Report is a summary of the monthly billings figures for the global semiconductor equipment industry. Categories cover wafer processing, assembly and packaging, test, and other front-end equipment. Other front-end includes mask/reticle manufacturing, wafer manufacturing, and fab facilities equipment.

Wednesday's report figures follows SEMI's report released April 2 showing that the global semiconductor materials market grew 10.6% in 2018, boosting its 12-month revenue to a record $51.9 billion,  surpassing the previous high of $47.1 billion set in 2011.

About the Author

Mike Hockett | Former Editor

Mike Hockett was Editor in Chief for EE from September 2018 to Sept. 2019. Previously he served as editor for two manufacturing trade publications: Industrial Distribution, and Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation. He began in sports writing for a trio of newspapers in Wisconsin and Iowa and earned a BA degree in print journalism from UW-Eau Claire.

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