Worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment surged 19% from $59.8 billion in 2019 to a new all-time high of $71.2 billion in 2020, SEMI, the industry association representing the global electronics product design and manufacturing supply chain, reported today.
For the first time, China claimed the largest market for new semiconductor equipment with sales growth of 39% to $18.72 billion. Sales in Taiwan, the second-largest equipment market, remained flat in 2020 with sales of $17.15 billion after showing strong growth in 2019. Korea registered 61% growth to $16.08 billion to maintain the third position. Annual spending also increased 21% in Japan and 16% in Europe as both regions are recovering from the contraction in 2019. Receipts in North America decreased 20% in 2020following three years of consecutive growth.
Global sales of wafer processing equipment rose 19% in 2020, while other front-end segment sales grew 4%. Assembly and packaging showed strong growth across all regions, resulting in a 34% market increase in 2020, while total test equipment sales increased 20%.
Compiled from data submitted by members of SEMI and the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ), the Worldwide SEMS Report is a summary of the monthly billings figures for the global semiconductor equipment industry. Equipment categories cover wafer processing, assembly and packaging, test, and other front-end equipment including mask/reticle manufacturing, wafer manufacturing, and fab facilities.
Annual Billings by Region in Billions of U.S. Dollars with Year-Over-Year Change Rates
| Region | 2020 | 2019 | % Change |
| China | 18.72 | 13.45 | 39% |
| Taiwan | 17.15 | 17.12 | 0.2% |
| Korea | 16.08 | 9.97 | 61% |
| Japan | 7.58 | 6.27 | 21% |
| North America | 6.53 | 8.15 | -20% |
| Europe | 2.64 | 2.28 | 16% |
| Rest of the World | 2.48 | 2.52 | -1% |
| Total | 71.19 | 59.75 | 19% |
Source: SEMI (www.semi.org) and SEAJ (www.seaj.or.jp), April 2021