SEMI: Wafer Shipments Reach Record Levels in 2010
SEMI’s Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported that worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased by 40 percent in 2010 over the previous year. In its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry, SMG said revenues also improved by 45 percent last year.
Silicon wafer area shipments in 2010 totaled 9,370 million square inches (MSI), up from the 6,707 million square inches shipped during 2009. Revenues reached $9.7 billion, up from $6.7 billion posted in 2009.
The data includes polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers, epitaxial silicon wafers, and non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users. It does not include wafers for solar applications.
Volker Braetsch, chairman of SEMI SMG and a corporate vice president of Siltronic AG, said “2010 was clearly a very strong recovery year for the semiconductor industry, resulting in a 40 percent area growth in wafer demand. Given current market forecasts, we are expecting solid demand for silicon wafers in 2011, although at a much more modest post-recovery rate.”
Annual Silicon* Industry Trends
| Worldwide Silicon Data | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Area Shipments (MSI) | 6,645 | 7,996 | 8,661 | 8,137 | 6,707 | 9,370 |
| Revenues ($B) | 7.9 | 10.0 | 12.1 | 11.4 | 6.7 | 9.7 |
*Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications
