2022Q1 wafer foundry output value increased by 8.2% month-on-month
While demand for consumer electronics has softened, structural growth in the semiconductor industry, including servers, high-performance computing, automotive, and industrial equipment, continues. This will be a key driver of foundry growth in the mid-to-long term.
The latest data from TrendForce shows that in the first quarter of 2022, due to strong wafer production capacity and high pricing, the output value achieved 11 consecutive quarters of growth and reached a new high of $31.96 billion, an increase of 8.2% from the previous quarter. The biggest change in the top ten foundries is that Nexchip surpassed Tower and ranked ninth.
The first place is undoubtedly TSMC, further expanding its leading-edge, its 6/7nm and 12/16nm processes have experienced higher revenue growth rates due to capacity expansion, but the 4nm/5nm process revenue has declined with the production adjustment of Apple’s iPhone. Samsung is the only company with negative growth in the top ten. The weakening demand for TVs and smartphones, coupled with the yield and production capacity problems of advanced technology, make Samsung’s performance unsatisfactory. UMC benefits from rising wafer prices. The growth momentum of GlobalFoundries comes from price adjustment and product structure optimization. SMIC’s growth came from increased shipments, and its capacity expansion was smooth. HuaHong, PSMC, and VIS benefited from high capacity utilization, increased capacity, and adjusted product mix, respectively. Nexchip focuses on large-size display driver ICs and accelerates the production of TDDI, CIS, MCU, and PMIC. Tower, which has been acquired by Intel, has benefited from related analog chips for industrial control and automotive applications, while maintaining its advantages in the field of PMIC process technology.
TrendForce said that the output value of the top ten foundries in the second quarter will maintain a growth trend.
