SAN FRANCISCO—Sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment are projected to total $42.4 billion in 2012, down 2.6 percent compared with 2011, according to a mid-year forecast update released Monday (July 9) by the SEMI fab tool vendor trade group.
If SEMI's mid-year forecast update is accurate, 2012 would be the fourth biggest year ever for fab tool spending, trailing 2011 ($43.5 billion), 2007 ($42.8 billion) and 2000 ($47.7 billion),
SEMI (San Jose, Calif.) said.
Spending on wafer processing equipment is expected to be about $33 billion in 2012, SEMI said, trailing only 2011, when wafer processing equipment spending totaled $34.3 billion, SEMI said. The expected decline in wafer processing equipment spending is about 3.8 percent compared with 2011, SEMI said.
In March, SEMI said it expected semiconductor equipment spending to be about $38.85 billion, roughly flat with 2011. The mid-year update issued Monday also includes estimates for test, packaging, assembly and other equipment sales.
SEMI forecasts that total chip equipment spending will grow in only two regions in 2012, South Korea and Taiwan, which are projected to be the largest and second largest regions for chip gear spending this year, respectively.
SEMI predicts that North America will have the second highest total for chip equipment spending in 2013, at $10.13 billion, with Taiwan slipping to the No. 3 spot. South Korea is again expected to have the highest chip equipment spending total in 2013, 12.4 billion, according to SEMI.
Also Monday, SEMI announced that Jifan Gao, chairman and CEO of Trina Solar, Nobu Koshiba, president of JSR Corp., Sue Lin, vice chairman of Hermes-Epitek, and Natsunosuke Yago, president of Ebara Corp., were named as new directors to the organization's board of directors. The organization also announced the re-election of several existing board members.
Douglas A. Neugold, chairman, CEO and president of ATMI Inc., will continue to serve as SEMI chairman and André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé, president, CEO and chairman of the board of Soitec Group, will continue in the position of vice-chairman of the board, SEMI said. Yong Han Lee, chairman of Wonik, was elected to the position of second vice chair, SEMI said.
