After hitting a five-quarter low, global silicon wafer shipments continued to rise this year

The latest quarterly silicon wafer industry analysis report released by the Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) under SEMI (Semiconductor Industry Association) shows that the global silicon wafer shipment area in the first quarter of 2019 fell by 5.6% compared with the fourth quarter of 2018, and fell slightly by 1% compared with the same period last year. The overall silicon wafer shipment is currently at the lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2017.

       SEMI Global Marketing Director and Taiwan President Cao Shilun said that compared with the historical highs experienced last year, global silicon wafer shipments fell slightly at the beginning of this year. However, he pointed out that certain seasonal factors have re-emerged and inventory is also being adjusted. Despite this, it is expected that silicon wafer shipments will remain at an upward level this year.

       According to SEMI statistics, the wafer shipment area in the fourth quarter of 2017 was 2977 million square inches (MSI), and the total shipment area in the four quarters of 2018 was 3084MSI, 3160MSI, 3255MSI and 3234MSI respectively. The total silicon wafer shipment area in the first quarter of this year fell to 3051 million square inches.