Overall Semiconductor Industry Performance in Q1 of 2020

The impact of pandemic COVID-19 has represented slump and challenges for the semiconductor industry. Though the medical and healthcare demand has increased and semiconductor players are relying on these segments to mark new growth, on the other hand, other sectors have stalled growth.

Earlier this year, the U.S.-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported Global sales of semiconductors picked 5% year-on-year in February to US$34.5 billion from US$32.9 billion previously.

Now in the latest report from United States-based industry group, global sales of semiconductor equipment saw significant fall accounting 7% to US$59.80 billion in 2019.

The Semiconductor Equipment Industry (SEMI) reported lately that Taiwan has claimed the largest market for new semiconductor equipment last year with sales of US$17.12billion. Taiwan’s 68% growth surge dislodged South Korea from the top spot while China maintained its position as the second-largest equipment market with sales of US$13.45bil.

In the third spot was South Korea at US$9.97bil after receipts fell 44%.

“While the new equipment markets in Japan, Europe and the rest of the world contracted, North American equipment sales jumped 40% to US$8.15bil in 2019, the region’s third consecutive annual increase,” it said.

“Global sales of wafer processing equipment fell 6% in 2019, while other front-end segment sales grew 9%.

“Assembly and packaging along with test equipment sales also faltered, declining 27% and 11%, respectively, while sales to China rose across all major equipment segments except for assembly and packaging,” it said.

While the February sales were lower on-month, this was a 5% increase from February 2019’s total of US$32.90 billion.