SEMI announces silicon wafer shipments have declined by 6% in 2008

Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments decreased by six percent in 2008 when compared to 2007 area shipments according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry. Revenues also declined by 6 percent in 2008 compared to 2007.

Silicon wafer area shipments in 2008 totaled 8,137 million square inches (MSI), down from the 8,661 million square inches shipped during 2007. Revenues fell to $11.4 billion from $12.1 billion posted in 2007. "Despite starting out the year strong, silicon shipments did not exceed levels seen in 2007," said Nobuo Katsuoka, chairman of SEMI SMG and director, SOI process Engineering Department for Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd. "The semiconductor market was not immune to the economic turmoil caused by the global financial crisis."

The silicon shipment is a key parameter in analyzing the worldwide semiconductor market. However the SOLAR PV's consumption should be separated from IC consumption to get some accuracy.