Global Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Sales Grew 5% To All-time High In 2022

A new report revealed that the worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment increased 5 per cent from USD 102.6 billion in 2021 to an all-time record of USD 107.6 billion last year.

The numbers reported by industry association SEMI mentioned that China remained the largest semiconductor equipment market in 2022 despite a 5 per cent slowdown in the pace of investments in the region year over year, accounting for USD 28.3 billion in billings.

Meanwhile, Taiwan was the second-largest destination for equipment spending, recorded an increase of 8 per cent to USD 26.8 billion, marking the fourth straight year of growth for the region. 

Equipment sales to Korea contracted 14 per cent to USD 21.5 billion. Annual semiconductor equipment investments in Europe surged 93 per cent, while North America logged a 38 per cent increase. Sales to the Rest of World and Japan increased 34 per cent and 7 per cent year over year, respectively.

"The record high for semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales in 2022 stems from the industry's drive to add the fab capacity required to support long-term growth and innovations in key end markets including high-performance computing and automotive," said Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO. 

"Additionally, the results reflect investments and determination across regions to avoid future semiconductor supply chain constraints like those that surfaced during the pandemic," he added.

During 2022, global sales of wafer processing equipment rose 8 per cent in 2022, while other front-end segment billings grew 11 per cent. After robust growth in 2021, assembly and packaging equipment sales decreased 19 per cent last year while total test equipment billings contracted 4 per cent year-over-year (YoY).