Global semiconductor materials market down 8% in 2023

The global semiconductor materials market revenue in 2023 contracted by 8.2% to $66.7 billion from the market record of $72.7 billion set in 2022, according to SEMI’s Materials Market Data Subscription (MMDS).

Wafer fabrication materials revenue declined by 7% to $41.5 billion in 2023, while packaging materials revenue fell by 10.1% to $25.2 billion last year. The silicon, photoresist ancillaries, wet chemicals, and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) segments logged the biggest contractions in the wafer fabrication materials market. The organic substrates segment accounted for much of the packaging materials market contraction.

Demand for semiconductors softened in 2023 as the industry worked to reduce excess inventory, leading to lower fab utilization rates and, consequently, a drop in materials consumption.

Taiwan, at $19.2 billion in revenue, was the world’s largest consumer of semiconductor materials for the 14th consecutive year. China, at $13.1 billion in revenue, continued to register year-over-year growth, ranking second in 2023, while Korea remained the third largest consumer with $10.6 billion in revenue. All regions except China posted high single- or double-digit declines in 2023.

The Materials Market Data Subscription from SEMI provides annual revenue with 10 years of historical data and a two-year forecast. The annual subscription includes quarterly updates for the materials segment and reports revenue for seven market regions (North America, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China and Rest of World). The report also features detailed historical data for silicon shipments and revenues for photoresist, photoresist ancillaries, process gases and lead frames. EE Times