According to the SEMI association, in the third quarter, sequential shipments of silicon wafers grew by 5.9% to 3.2 billion square inches, an annual increase of 6.8%. Shipments have been increasing consistently since the second quarter of this year, suggesting a recovery in demand for semiconductor components.
Image source: Micron Technology
SEMI representatives in their laconic report note that finished goods inventories in supply chains have decreased, but overall remain above normal. Silicon wafers, used to produce advanced chips in the artificial intelligence segment, are in high demand. At the same time, in the automotive electronics and industrial automation segment, silicon wafers are not yet particularly in demand due to high inventories of finished products. But in the smartphone components sector there are islands of revival in demand, as noted in the SEMI report.
Image source: SEMI
Most likely, supply volumes of silicon wafers will continue to grow next year, but their total value will not be able to approach the peak level observed in 2022 in the wake of the pandemic. Since the third quarter of last year, there has been a decline in supplies of silicon wafers in sequential comparison, which gave way to an increase in the second quarter of this year. Even now, as can be judged by comments from industry representatives, the situation across market segments is not so uniform.