Fab Tool Sales Again Set Quarterly Record

Article By : Dylan McGrath

Semiconductor equipment billings came in at an all-time high for the second consecutive quarter as the fab tool industry remains on track to post record sales.

SAN FRANCISCO — Worldwide billings for semiconductor manufacturing equipment hit an all-time high in the second quarter, breaking a record that had been set in the first quarter, as the industry remains on track to post its best year ever, according to the SEMI trade association.

Second quarter equipment billings totaled $14.1 billion, shattering the record of $13.08 billion set in the first quarter by more than $1 billion, or 8 percent, SEMI (San Jose, Calif.) said. Second quarter equipment billings were up by 35 percent compared with the second quarter of 2016.

Semiconductor equipment sails are riding the wave of capacity expansions and node scaling in what is shaping up to be a huge year for semiconductor sales, particularly in the memory segment. In July, SEMI projected that tool sales would hit $49.4 billion this year, breaking the record set in the dot com heyday of 2000.

Growth in the second quarter was strongest in South Korea, which is projected to be the No. 1 region for fab tool buying this year, SEMI said. Taiwan and China ranking second and third, respectively, in tool sales for the second quarter, SEMI said.

Data for the second quarter billings estimate was gathered jointly by SEMI and the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) from more than 95 chip equipment companies.

—Dylan McGrath is the editor-in-chief of EE Times.