SEMI Forecasts 4.8% Growth in Silicon Wafer Shipments

According to the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) organization, the global silicon wafer shipments are expected to reach a historic high of nearly 14,700 million square inches this year, marking a 4.8% increase compared to the previous year.

SEMI's annual semiconductor industry forecast report, released today (February 7), highlights this significant growth despite the macroeconomic factors that had slowed growth in 2023. However, SEMI projects a strong rebound in the coming years driven by robust semiconductor demand in data centers, automotive, and industrial applications.

Silicon wafers are the foundational material for most semiconductors, which, in turn, are essential components in nearly all electronic products. These highly engineered wafers, with diameters of up to 12 inches, serve as the substrate for manufacturing semiconductor devices and chips.

It’s important to note that the reported data encompasses polished silicon wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers shipped by wafer manufacturers to end users. It excludes unpolished or recycled silicon wafers from the total figures.

In addition, SEMI's data indicates that global silicon wafer shipments reached a new record in the third quarter of 2022, at 3.741 billion square inches, a 1.0% quarter-over-quarter increase and a 2.5% year-over-year growth.

The Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) at SEMI reported in its latest quarterly silicon wafer industry update that, in the second quarter of 2022, global silicon wafer shipments exceeded the historical record set in the first quarter of the same year. This marks a 1% year-over-year increase, reaching 3,704 million square inches (MSI). The second-quarter shipments also represented a 5% increase from the same period last year, which recorded 3,534 million square inches.

Anna Riikka Vuorikari Antikainen, Chair of SEMI SMG and Chief Business Officer of Okmetic, stated, "The strong semiconductor market continues to drive both silicon wafer shipments and demand. Like other wafer manufacturing materials, inflation pressures are driving up silicon prices. Despite ongoing expansion of semiconductor wafer fabrication plants, wafer supply remains constrained."