글로벌 전자 산업 공급망을 대표하는 산업 협회인 SEMI에 따르면 2024년 2분기의 전 세계 실리콘 웨이퍼 출하량이 30억3,500만제곱인치로 전년동기인 33억3,100만제곱인치에 비해 8.9% 감소했지만, 직전분기대비 7.1% 증가했다.
Worldwide shipments of 3.035 billion square inches… 7% increase over electricity
Global silicon wafer shipments grew significantly, driven by strong demand from data centers and generative AI.
SEMI, an industry association representing the global electronics industry supply chain, announced on the 5th that global silicon wafer shipments in the second quarter of 2024 were 3.035 billion square inches, down 8.9% from 3.331 billion square inches in the same period last year, but up 7.1% from the previous quarter.
“The silicon wafer market is recovering, driven by strong demand from data centers and generative AI,” said Chengwei Li, president of SEMI SMG and vice president and chief controller of GlobalWafers. “While the recovery is not uniform across applications, 300mm wafer shipments in the second quarter increased 8% quarter-on-quarter, showing a significant increase compared to other types of wafers. In particular, the outlook for the silicon wafer market is inevitably bright as new fabs are being built and production capacity is being expanded.”
Silicon wafers are a key material for semiconductor manufacturing, making them an essential component of virtually all electronic products, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. Precision-machined silicon disks are produced in diameters ranging from 1 inch to 12 inches and are used as substrate materials on which most semiconductor chips are manufactured.