Q1 2019 Unit Drop Impacts Wafer Demand For 2019

By Joanne Itow - 23 May, 2019 - Comments: 0

The Semico Wafer Demand Model update for Q1 2019 now results in a 5.9% decline in wafer demand for 2019. Along with process technology and productivity, Semico’s Wafer Demand Model is highly dependent on semiconductor unit sales. In the Q1 2019, total semiconductor units dropped by 7.4% compared to Q4 2018 and 3.8% compared to Q1 2018. The drop in units is significant because of the broad spe... » read more

Wafer Demand: Under Pressure But Still Growing

By Joanne Itow - 19 Mar, 2018 - Comments: 1

Wafer demand grew 10.7% in 2017 while total semiconductor units grew 13.4%. Due to the tight supply of silicon wafers and increased prices, most manufactures placed an even higher priority on improving yields. The industry’s focus on yield improvements is relentless but especially important when the cost of key input materials is on the rise. In 2017 the semiconductor products that con... » read more

Semiconductor Wafer Demand: Growing Pains

By Joanne Itow - 20 Nov, 2017 - Comments: 0

Semico Research is forecasting total semiconductor unit growth to exceed 13% this year, the first double-digit growth year since 2010. The exceptional unit growth is what the industry hopes for, but it does come with some growing pains. MOS logic, optoelectronics, MEMS and sensors, and even analog and discrete products are experiencing more than 10% unit growth in 2017. The challenge is that... » read more

After Smartphones…Less?

By Joanne Itow - 17 Mar, 2016 - Comments: 1

As the rate of growth for smartphone sales slow, questions arise regarding the impact that slower growth will have throughout the semiconductor supply chain. Over the past decade, the 1 billion-plus smartphone market has driven the need for more advanced manufacturing process technologies, new input materials and the need for more fab capacity. It has even legitimized new players into the suppl... » read more

The Stakes Are High

By Joanne Itow - 20 Jun, 2013 - Comments: 0

By Joanne Itow Whether you call it a transition or a transformation, evolutionary or revolutionary, the implementation of 450mm wafers is going to be disruptive. There are both technical and operational hurdles associated with semiconductor production on 450mm wafers. The ramp of 450mm is expected to change the semiconductor manufacturing landscape. And what about the changes that may occur ev... » read more

Painting By Numbers

By Joanne Itow - 16 May, 2013 - Comments: 0

By Joanne Itow Semiconductor revenue growth dropped to a compound annual growth rate of only 3.4% over the past five years and units grew only 3.0%. Throughout the same period, semiconductor wafer demand grew 6.6%, higher than unit growth but lower than the historical average. What caused this decline and will the industry ever get back to ‘normal’ growth rates? Figure 1. Annual Growth ... » read more

Uneven Growth Ahead

By Joanne Itow - 18 Oct, 2012 - Comments: 0

By Joanne Itow SEMI recently released its silicon shipment forecast for 2012-2014. Total wafer shipments are expected to reach record levels in 2013 and 2014. Semico’s Wafer Demand model concurs with that forecast. Wafer demand is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 11.7% over the next five years. The wafer demand pie keeps getting bigger but all the pieces are not growing at th... » read more

Winners And Losers

By Joanne Itow - 20 Sep, 2012 - Comments: 0

By Joanne Itow Semiconductor revenues will log in a relatively lackluster growth for 2012, only 3% more than 2011. That is below the 4.8% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) over the past five years and well below the 8.4% CAGR over the past 10 years. On the other hand, semiconductor units continue to show healthy growth, driving up wafer demand. Units will grow slightly faster compared to the ... » read more

Wafer Demand Outpaces Semiconductor Unit Growth in 2011

By Joanne Itow - 28 Jun, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Joanne Itow Semiconductor unit sales remain strong and are expected to reach 718 billion in 2011, an 8.6% growth over 2010. Unit sales are driving wafer demand at both advanced and mature fabs. Total silicon demand is expected to grow by 10% in 2011. In the first quarter of 2011, semiconductor unit sales increased 1.3% over Q4 2010, reflecting an unusually healthy growth compared to the ... » read more

Wafer Demand: Good to Grow in 2011

By Joanne Itow - 25 Apr, 2011 - Comments: 0

By Joanne Itow The foundries are ramping 32nm/28nm production but that’s only one of the reasons wafer demand is forecast to grow at above average rates this year. MEMS and sensors will help to grow wafer demand at the ≥1000nm technology nodes. Wafers processed at ≥1000nm technology will grow by 10.2% in 2011. That’s on top of the 25% growth experienced in 2010. Microcontrolle... » read more

Knowledge Centers
Entities, people and technologies explored

Shift Left Is The Tip Of The Iceberg

A transformative change is underway for semiconductor design and EDA. New languages, models, and abstractions will need to be created.

by Brian Bailey

Partitioning In The Chiplet Era

Understanding how chiplets interact under different workloads is critical to ensuring signal integrity and optimal performance in heterogeneous designs.

by Ann Mutschler

3.5D: The Great Compromise

Pros and cons of a middle-ground chiplet assembly that combines 2.5D and 3D-IC.

by Ed Sperling

AI’s Role In Chip Design Widens, Drawing In New Startups

Focus is on letting engineers do much more with the same or fewer resources — and less drudgery.

by Karen Heyman

Key Technologies To Extend EUV To 14 Angstroms

Alongside high-NA EUV will be better-performing photoresists, reduced roughness using passivation and etch, and lateral etching to reduce tip-to-tip dimensions.

by Laura Peters

What Comes After HBM For Chiplets

The standard for high-bandwidth memory limits design freedom at many levels, but that is required for interoperability. What freedoms can be taken from other functions to make chiplets possible?

by Brian Bailey

Memory Fundamentals For Engineers

eBook: Nearly everything you need to know about memory, including detailed explanations of the different types of memory; how and where these are used today; what's changing, which memories are successful and which ones might be in the future; and the limitations of each memory type.

by The SE Staff

Why Small Fab And Assembly Houses Are Thriving

Megafabs churning out the most advanced processors are not the only game in town.

by Bryon Moyer

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