Silicon wafers will sustain growth through 2024
🟩 Silicon Wafer Shipment Forecast
SEMI announced that it expects silicon wafer shipments for semiconductors to reach a record high of +13.9% year-on-year in 2021. Demand for semiconductors is expected to be long-term, with silicon wafers continuing to expand through 2024.
Silicon wafer
Semiconductors are extremely important components in all electronics-related products, including computers, communication equipment, and home appliances. Silicon wafers are the basic material for semiconductors and are used in all semiconductor chips. The shape is a thin disc-shaped material made with advanced technology, manufactured in various diameters (1~12 inches).
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Since silicon wafers are manufactured in a variety of diameters, the total shipment volume is expressed in square inches.
🟩How much is 140 billion (square inches)?
Demand in the fields of logic, foundry, memory, and other semiconductors will increase. Therefore, the shipment area of silicon wafers in 2021 is expected to be 14 billion (square inches). The total area is about 10 (square km).
- 14 billion (square inches) = about 10 (square km)
- 8 inches 280 million wafers
- Tokyo Dome 200 pieces
- Taito-ku, Tokyo
Which company makes silicon wafers, which are the basic materials of semiconductors?
🟩 In fact, Japan manufacturers are strong in this field
Wafers are used in all semiconductor chips, but Japan manufacturers account for half of the global market. No. 1 Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (4063) and No. 2 SUMCO Co., Ltd. (3436) are representative manufacturers. As the shipment volume of silicon wafers increases, so does the shipments of these companies.
As of 2021, No. 3 Taiwan Global Wafers (Global Circle) has announced that it will acquire No. 4 Siltronic of Germany. After the completion of the acquisition, the three Japanese and Taiwanese companies will account for 90% of the market share, accelerating the concentration on East Asian companies.
🟩Summary
Silicon wafers are expected to continue growing until 2024, and Japan manufacturers are expected to share the market
Since semiconductor foundries are concentrated in East Asia, I think it is normal for silicon wafers, which are basic materials, to also be concentrated in East Asia. Semiconductor manufacturing plants are being attracted in various countries, but there is currently no effort to concentrate basic materials.
