2019 Global Silicon Semiconductor Shipments Dip from 2018 Record High

Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments in 2019 declined 7% from the 2018 record high while revenue remained above the $11 billion mark despite a global silicon revenue slip of 2% over the same period, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Silicon wafer area shipments in 2019 totaled 11,810 million square inches (MSI), while the indus-try logged shipments of 12,732 million square inches in 2018. Revenues in 2019 totaled $11.15 billion, edging down from the $11.38 billion posted in 2018.

“The 2019 decline in worldwide semiconductor silicon volume shipments resulted from memory market softness and inventory normalization,” said Neil Weaver, VP of SEMI SMG, and director, product development and applications engineering at Shin-Etsu Handotai America. “Despite the volume dip, silicon revenue remained resilient.”