Semiconductor manufacturers worldwide are on track to boost 200mm fab capacity by 1.2 million wafers, or 21%, from the start of 2020 to the end of 2024 to hit a record high of 6.9 million wafers per month, SEMI said in its new report.

After climbing to US$5.3 billion last year, 200mm fab equipment spending is expected to be US$4.9 billion in 2022 as 200mm fab utilization remains at high levels and the global semiconductor industry works to overcome the chip shortage, SEMI indicated.

"Wafer manufacturers will add 25 new 200mm lines over the five-year period to help meet growing demand for applications such as 5G, automotive and Internet of Things (IoT) devices that rely on devices like analog, power management and display driver ICs, MOSFETs, microcontroller units (MCU) and sensors," said Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO.

Foundries will account for more than 50% of the overall 200mm fab capacity worldwide this year, followed by analog at 19% and discrete/power at 12%. Regionally, China will lead the world in 200mm capacity with 21% share in 2022, followed by Japan with 16% and Taiwan and Europe/Mideast at 15% each, according to SEMI.

Equipment investments are projected to remain above US$3 billion in 2023, with the foundry sector accounting for 54%, followed by discrete/power at 20% and analog at 19%, SEMI indicated.

By DIGITIMES