About 70% of the total manufacturing capacity is located in South Korea, Taiwan and China, with the US in fifth place after Japan, which will have a 13% share in 2022, the semiconductor lobby body revealed.
In 1990 the United States accounted for 37% of production capacity, Europe another 44%, and Japan came in third with 19%. The latter was considered a semiconductor powerhouse in the 1980s, accounting for 51% of global chip sales in 1988.
The Biden administration passed the Chips and Science Act in August 2022, allocating about $280 billion to push the lagging domestic chip industry in terms of research and manufacturing to regain its leadership.
Although 200 mm wafers are still widely manufactured and used, the chart focuses on 300 mm wafers introduced in 2001, capable of holding more wafers and believed to be more cost-effective.
In 2022, the new standard and its predecessor showed similar production levels, but these numbers are expected to change significantly in the coming years.
By 2026, SEMI expects monthly volume of 9.6 million 300 mm wafers, while 200 mm wafer production will reach 7.7 million per month. In the last category, China leads in terms of production capacity, followed by Japan and Taiwan in second and third place respectively.
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