글로벌 전자 산업 공급망을 대표하는 산업 협회인 SEMI가 반도체 전문 조사 기관인 테크인사이트와 함께 조사하는 시장 보고서인 반도체 제조 모니터링(Semiconductor Manufacturing Monitor)을 업데이트하면서 2024년 3분기의 글로벌 반도체 제조 산업의 주요 지표가 2년 만에 전부 성장세를 보였다고 밝혔다.
4Q Memory Facility Investment Grows 39% YoY, Leading Overall Growth
The global electronics industry is expected to grow across all sectors this year, with IC sales expected to increase 20% year-on-year.
SEMI, an industry association representing the global electronics industry supply chain, updated its market report, Semiconductor Manufacturing Monitor, conducted in collaboration with semiconductor research firm TechInsights, and announced on the 20th that all key indicators of the global semiconductor manufacturing industry in the third quarter of 2024 showed growth for the first time in two years.
Seasonality and investments in AI data centers have driven this growth, while the recovery in consumer products, automotive, and industrial semiconductors has been slower. And this growth is expected to continue in the fourth quarter of this year.
Electronic product sales are expected to rebound in Q3 2024 after declining in the first half of 2024, growing 8% QoQ, and increase 20% in Q4 2024. IC sales are also expected to increase 12% QoQ in Q3 2024 and increase 10% in Q4. Overall, IC revenue is expected to increase 20% year-over-year this year, driven by improving chip prices and stronger demand for data center memory chips.
Semiconductor facility investment also decreased in the first half of 2024, but is expected to turn to growth from the third quarter of 2024.
As the mood in the memory IC market improved, memory-related facility investments in the third quarter surged 34% quarter-on-quarter and 67% year-on-year.
Total facility investment in the fourth quarter of 2024 is expected to increase by 27% compared to the third quarter and 31% compared to the same period last year.
In particular, memory-related facility investment in the fourth quarter is expected to grow 39% year-on-year, leading the increase in overall facility investment.
The semiconductor equipment sector remains strong due to China's continued large-scale investment and investments in High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and advanced packaging.
Investment in wafer fab equipment in the third quarter of this year increased 11% compared to the second quarter and 15% compared to the same period last year. Investments in wafer fab equipment, particularly in China, are driving this growth.
Sales in the testing and packaging segments increased by 40% and 31% year-on-year in the third quarter of this year, respectively, and this growth is expected to continue in the fourth quarter.
Wafer fab production capacity is expected to reach 41.4 million wafers per quarter (300mm wafer equivalent) in the third quarter of 2024, increasing by 1.6% in the fourth quarter.
In particular, production capacity related to foundries and logic semiconductors increased by 2.0% in the third quarter of this year, and is expected to increase by another 2.2% in the fourth quarter due to the expansion of production capacity for advanced and mature nodes.
Memory production capacity increased by 0.6% in Q3 and is expected to remain at a similar level in Q4. Growth was somewhat restrained by the transition of production nodes, but strong demand for HBM was expected to drive this trend.
“The semiconductor equipment sector continues to see growth momentum this year, driven by strong investment in China and investments in advanced technologies,” said Clark Tseng, SEMI senior director. “The continued expansion of fab production capacity, especially in the foundry and logic segments, demonstrates the industry’s commitment to meeting the growing demand for advanced semiconductor technologies.”
“While consumer, automotive, and industrial semiconductor markets struggled, AI grew significantly, driving up average selling prices for memory and logic products,” said Boris Metodiev, director of market research at TechInsights. “And with interest rate cuts expected in 2025, consumer sentiment is expected to improve, driving spending, and positively impacting consumer and automotive markets.”