According to the latest ESD industry report released by the ESD Alliance, a technology community of the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), the Electronic System Design (ESD) industry showed growth in revenue and employment during the fourth quarter of 2021.

According to a recently released ESD industry report, sales in the fourth quarter of 2020 recorded $3.0315 billion, while sales in the fourth quarter of 2021 recorded $3.4682 billion, showing a 14.4% growth compared to the same period last year.

In terms of employment, the total number of employees in all companies was recorded at 51,236 as of the fourth quarter of 2021, which is a 5.7% increase compared to 48,478 in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Looking at sales and growth rates by specific sector, Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) stood at $1.0646 billion, an 11.2% increase compared to the same period last year. The growth was led by an increase in printed circuit boards and multi-chip modules, up 13.9% to $333.7 million; semiconductor intellectual property rights, up 24.8% to $1.3143 billion; and the services sector, including consulting and education, recording a rise of $131.1 million. However, the IC design and verification sector decreased by 2% compared to the same period last year, reaching $624.5 million.

The region with the highest revenue was the Americas, achieving $1.5772 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021, marking a 21% increase compared to the same period last year. Elsewhere, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa recorded $482.5 million, a 5.5% increase, while the Asia-Pacific region recorded $1.1856 billion, a 13.8% rise. Japan recorded $222.8 million, a 2.4% decrease year-on-year.

Cornami CEO Walden C. Lines emphasized, “Total revenue for the ESD industry in 2021 reached approximately $13.02 billion,” adding that “revenue increased in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.”

In particular, he added, “We achieved double-digit growth in the fourth quarter of 2021 in the fields of computer-aided engineering, printed circuit boards, multi-chip modules, semiconductor intellectual property rights, and services.”