Total wafer shipments in 2019 are expected to decline 6 percent from last year’s historic high, with growth resuming in 2020 and shipments reaching a new high in 2022, according to SEMI’s recent semiconductor industry annual silicon shipment forecast.
Forecast demand for silicon units through 2022 shows polished and epitaxial silicon shipments totaling 11,757 million square inches in 2019, 11,977 million square inches in 2020, 12,390 million square inches in 2021, and 12,785 million square inches in 2022 (see table below).
“Silicon shipment volumes are expected to decline this year as the industry works through accumulated inventory and weaker demand,” said Clark Tseng, director of Industry Research and Statistics at SEMI. “The industry is expected to stabilize in 2020 and regain growth momentum in 2021 and 2022.”
2019 Silicon* Shipment Forecast (MSI = Millions of Square Inches)
| Actual | Forecast | |||||
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| MSI | 11,617 | 12,541 | 11,757 | 11,977 | 12,390 | 12,785 |
| Annual Growth | 9.8% | 8.0% | -6.3% | 1.9% | 3.5% | 3.2% |
*Total Electronic Grade Silicon Slices – Excludes Non-Polished Wafers
*Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications.
Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), September 2019
Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. The highly engineered thin round disks are produced in various diameters (from one inch to 12 inches) and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices or chips are fabricated.
All data cited in this release is inclusive of polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users. Data do not include non-polished or reclaimed wafers.