China, Taiwan, and Korea are the countries with the highest equipment investment.
Investment in test equipment will continue to increase.


It is projected that semiconductor equipment investment in 2021 will surpass the record high of 2018.

The Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) announced on the 22nd that the global semiconductor equipment investment this year is expected to reach $63.2 billion, up about 6% from $59.6 billion last year, citing the Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) released at SEMICON West.

It is also expected to reach an all-time high of approximately $70 billion next year.

Driven by increased investment in the memory sector and aggressive investment from China, the wafer fab equipment segment, which includes wafer processing, fab facilities, and mask and reticle equipment, is expected to grow 5% in 2020 and 13% in 2021.

Investment in foundry and logic semiconductors, which account for half of total wafer fab equipment investment, is expected to show single-digit growth in 2020 and 2021. Investments in DRAM and NAND in 2020 are expected to surpass 2019 levels, with both sectors expected to grow by more than 20% in 2021.

Investment in assembly and packaging equipment is projected to rise 10% this year to $3.2 billion and 8% to $3.4 billion in 2021. Investment in test equipment is projected to increase 13% this year to $5.7 billion, with growth expected to continue in 2021.

Regionally, China, Taiwan, and South Korea are expected to lead global semiconductor equipment investment. China is expected to maintain its aggressive investment in foundries and memory, securing the largest semiconductor equipment investment position in 2020 and 2021. Taiwan, which saw a 68% surge in 2019, is expected to see a slight slowdown this year, but is expected to see 10% growth in 2021.

This year, Korea's semiconductor equipment investment is expected to reach approximately $12.3 billion, ranking third. In 2021, it is projected to grow 30% to approximately $15.9 billion, driven by a recovery in memory investment. Equipment investment in all major semiconductor manufacturing regions is expected to increase in 2021.