MILPITAS, Calif. – April 10, 2019 – Worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment surged 14 percent from $56.62 billion in 2017 to an all-time high of $64.5 billion in 2018, SEMI, the industry association representing the worldwide electronics product design and manufacturing supply chain, reported today. The data is now available in the Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS) Report.
For the second consecutive year, Korea claimed the largest market for new semiconductor equipment with $17.71 billion in sales, followed by China, rising to become the second largest equipment market for the first time with sales of $13.11 billion and displacing Taiwan, which fell to the third position with sales of $10.17 billion. Annual spending rates increased for China, Japan, Rest of World (primarily Southeast Asia), Europe, and North America. However, new equipment markets in Taiwan and South Korea contracted. The 2018 equipment market rankings for Japan, North America, Europe, and Rest of World remained unchanged from 2017.
Sales for the global wafer processing equipment market segment rose 15 percent while other front-end segment sales jumped 9 percent. Total test equipment sales increased 20 percent as assembly and packaging sales increased 2 percent.
Compiled from data submitted by members of SEMI and the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ), the Worldwide SEMS Report is a summary of the monthly billings figures for the global semiconductor equipment industry. Categories cover wafer processing, assembly and packaging, test, and other front-end equipment. Other front-end includes mask/reticle manufacturing, wafer manufacturing, and fab facilities equipment.
The annual billings data by region in billions of U.S. dollars with year-over-year rates by region are as follows:
| Region | 2018 | 2017 | % Change |
| South Korea | 17.71 | 17.95 | -1% |
| China | 13.11 | 8.23 | 59% |
| Taiwan | 10.17 | 11.49 | -12 |
| Japan | 9.47 | 6.49 | 46% |
| North America | 5.83 | 5.59 | 4% |
| Europe | 4.22 | 3.67 | 15% |
| Rest of World | 4.04 | 3.20 | 26% |
| Total | 64.53 | 56.62 | 14% |
Source: SEMI (www.semi.org) and SEAJ, April 2019
The Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) from SEMI provides comprehensive market data for the global semiconductor equipment market. A subscription includes three reports: the monthly SEMI Billings Report, which offers a perspective of the trends in the equipment market; the monthly Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS), a detailed report of semiconductor equipment billings for seven regions and 24 market segments; and the SEMI Semiconductor Equipment Forecast, which provides an outlook for the semiconductor equipment market. For more information or to subscribe, please contact SEMI customer service at 1.877.746.7788 (toll free in the U.S.) or 1.408.943.6901 (International Callers). More information is also available online.
About SEMI
SEMI® connects more than 2,260 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Association Partners, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org