Global silicon wafer shipments are expected to continue growing through 2024, driven by strong demand.

SEMI, the industry association representing the global electronics industry supply chain, recently released its annual silicon shipment forecast.

According to this, it is expected to record 13.998 billion square inches this year, a 13.9% increase over the previous year.

It is expected to increase 6.4% year-on-year to 14.896 billion square inches in 2022, and 4.6% year-on-year to 15.587 billion square inches in 2023.

It is projected to reach 16,037 million square inches in 2024, a 2.9% increase from the previous year.

This growth is expected to continue in the foundry and memory sectors due to explosive demand growth in each industry.

“Strong demand for semiconductors across multiple industries is driving significant silicon shipment growth, and we expect this growth momentum to continue into next year, but wafer shipments could fluctuate depending on the pace of the macroeconomic recovery and the timing of additional wafer fabrication facilities,” said Ina Skvortsova, market analyst at SEMI.

Silicon wafers are a key material for semiconductor manufacturing and are therefore essential to 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 the substrate material on which most semiconductor chips are manufactured.

Meanwhile, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturing Group (SMG), a Special Interest Group (SIG) within SEMI, comprises companies involved in the production of polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon, and silicon wafers. The group's purpose is to develop market information and statistics on the silicon and semiconductor industries, and to foster collaborative efforts on key issues related to the silicon industry.