PCBs are essential electronic materials for mounting numerous semiconductors and electronic components and for the electrical connections between them. As digital transformation intensifies and the demand for servers and devices accelerates, the supply and technological advancement of PCBs and packaging—driven by the increase in semiconductor set shipments—are emerging as critical factors.

The 2022 International PCB and Semiconductor Packaging Industry Exhibition (hereinafter KPCAshow2022) was held at Incheon Songdo Convention Center for three days starting from the 21st. This event, hosted by the Korea PCB & Semiconductor Packaging Industry Association, marked its 19th anniversary and was bustling with visitors, shaking off the sluggishness of last year due to COVID-19.

As a representative exhibition for the domestic PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and semiconductor packaging industries, unlike last year when performance was sluggish due to COVID-19, this year's event saw an increase of over 30% with 182 companies from 14 countries occupying more than 430 booths to showcase the latest equipment and technology.

According to electronics industry consulting firm Prismark, the global semiconductor package substrate market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 11% until 2026, including 25% in 2020 and 19% in 2021 in terms of revenue.

With explosive growth expected in FC-BGA, known as the next-generation substrate, companies showcasing their technological prowess by prominently featuring FC-BGA product lines stood out at the exhibition. Companies such as Samsung Electro-Mechanics and LG Innotek exhibited related solutions.
With increasing new demand for GPUs for cloud computing, AI, and blockchain, FCCSP and FCBOC, used as mobile APs, are expected to grow by 17% this year and average 9% over the next five years. The expansion of demand for high-performance semiconductors has resulted in FC-BGA accounting for 47% of the global package substrate market.

Various companies, encompassing manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, equipment, raw materials, and research institutions, participated in the exhibition on this day and showcased a wide range of attractions and solutions. Visitors could view the latest product lineups and next-generation technology visions from companies such as LG Innotek, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Daeduck Electronics, while Taesung, KLA, Husemenix, and Schmol Korea showcased their portfolios of domestic and international semiconductor equipment. Materials companies like Doosan Electronics BG, as well as plating and chemical manufacturers such as Sechang Chemical, TKC, ORChem, and MK Chem & Tech, presented their solutions, and companies related to collaborative robots also participated.

An international symposium and a seminar for participating companies were taking place on one side of the exhibition hall. Held for three days starting on the 21st, this symposium featured participation from Intel Korea, Korea University of Engineering, SK Hynix, ETRI, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, presenting the latest trends and technologies in PCB and semiconductor packaging, including the latest semiconductor packaging trends, the latest HPC packaging technologies, and the latest PKG substrate trends.
The exhibition organizer stated, “Compared to the event held last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, the scale has increased by 1.5 times, and we expect the number of visitors to more than double,” adding, “We plan to focus on the semiconductor packaging sector to recruit new members and seek future expansion through discussions with related equipment manufacturers.”

An official from a company distributing substrate materials shared their thoughts on participating, stating, "We didn't have high expectations for this year because visitor numbers were low last year, but seeing the venue bustling with overseas buyers and domestic industry professionals, we consider it a huge success."

Recently, the atmosphere in the IT manufacturing industry has been characterized by a chain reaction of sluggish demand for sets and devices as consumer demand declines due to factors such as inflation, while situations affecting semiconductor demand, such as the cold snap in DRAM, have occurred. Among the companies participating in the exhibition, an official from Samsung Electro-Mechanics stated that the atmosphere is not bad due to increased demand for servers.

An official stated, “We have been making a cumulative investment of 1.9 trillion won in FC-BGA since the end of last year, focusing particularly on server-oriented products,” adding, “In the overall sector, there may be an impact on third-quarter sales due to sluggish set performance.”