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Bottom line: An finish to the chip scarcity has been predicted. Sadly, it will not be till 2024, when new factories begin growing wafer output, that means we have one other two years earlier than issues begin returning to regular.
Research agency Techcet (through The Register) writes that whereas manufacturing capability is rising, it won’t be sufficient to fulfill projected wafer demand in 2022 or 2023, impacting chip manufacturing and costs. It writes that 300mm wafers are being produced on the charge of seven,200 wafers per thirty days (wpm), which is roughly equal to the projected demand, however that demand is growing quick, and wafers are specialised to buyer specs and system necessities, so provide points can range based mostly on buyer wants.
Major wafer suppliers are investing in new crops to fulfill capability, however it takes a very long time to construct and equip these amenities—round two to a few years—so new manufacturing will not be accessible to alleviate provide constraints till 2024.
Techcet notes that the wafer scarcity is creating a possibility for brand new 300mm suppliers in China, who might fill among the gaps if they’ll meet qualification requirements. However, rising power and uncooked materials prices are preserving the stress on producers and pushing up costs.
While that is not the information customers need to hear, silicon wafer makers aren’t complaining concerning the worth of their merchandise going up. Techcet predicts that the market will generate $15.5 billion in income this yr, up 14.8% from 2021. It marks the primary time in over a decade that the wafer market will expertise two consecutive years of double-digit progress.
The report arrives quickly after trade consortium SEMI introduced that semiconductor producers worldwide are on monitor to spice up 200mm fab capability by 1.2 million wafers to hit a file 6.9 million wafers per thirty days, serving to ease the chip scarcity. This can be used to create low-cost chips akin to analog, energy administration and show driver built-in circuits (ICs), MOSFETs, microcontroller models (MCUs) and sensors for purposes akin to 5G, automotive and Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets.
Last month introduced extra unwelcome chip-related information when specialised chip software producers like ASML, Lam Research, Applied Materials, and KLA warned their shoppers that they could have to attend as much as 18 months to obtain crucial tools.
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