Last year, the shipment volume and sales of silicon wafers used in semiconductor manufacturing were both found to have declined due to the influence of inventory adjustments.
According to the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) on the 26th, the global shipment volume of silicon wafers last year recorded 12.266 billion in², a decrease of 2.7% compared to the previous year, while sales fell by 6.5% to $11.5 billion (approximately 16.48 trillion won).
Li Qingwei, SEMI SMG chairman and Global Wafers vice president, noted, "While generative artificial intelligence (AI) and new data centers are driving demand for memory semiconductors such as advanced foundries and high-bandwidth memory (HBM), most other end-consumer markets are still recovering from excess inventory."
However, SEMI forecasts that starting this year, wafer shipments will gradually show signs of recovery, with a strong rebound expected in the second half of the year. Analysis suggests that factors such as the production cuts by semiconductor manufacturers, rising AI demand, and recovery of end-consumer markets will have an impact.