Worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment in 2021 surged 44% to an all-time record of $102.6 billion from $71.2 billion in 2020, according to the industry association SEMI.
China claimed the largest market for semiconductor equipment for the second time with sales expanding 58% to $29.6 billion to mark the fourth consecutive year of growth. Korea, the second-largest equipment market, registered a sales increase of 55% to $25.0 billion, after showing strong growth in 2020. Taiwan logged 45% growth to $24.9 billion to claim the third position. Annual semiconductor equipment spending increased 23% in Europe and 17% in North America, which continues to recover from a contraction in 2020. Sales in Rest of the World jumped 79% in 2021.
“The 44% increase in manufacturing equipment spending in 2021 highlights the global semiconductor industry’s aggressive push to add capacity,” said Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO. “This drive to expand production capabilities extends beyond the current supply imbalance, as the industry continues to ramp up to address a wide range of emerging high-tech applications that will enable a smarter digital world with countless social benefits.”
Global sales of wafer processing equipment rose 44% in 2021, while other front-end segment sales grew 22%. Assembly and packaging showed exceptional growth across all regions, resulting in an 87% market increase in 2021, while total test equipment sales rose 30%.
Annual Billings by Region in Billions of U.S. Dollars with Year-Over-Year Change Rates
| Region | 2021 | 2020 | % Change |
| China | 29.62 | 18.72 | 58% |
| Korea | 24.98 | 16.08 | 55% |
| Taiwan | 24.94 | 17.15 | 45% |
| Japan | 7.80 | 7.58 | 3% |
| North America | 7.61 | 6.53 | 17% |
| Rest of the World | 4.44 | 2.48 | 79% |
| Europe | 3.25 | 2.64 | 23% |
| Total | 102.64 | 71.19 | 44% |
Source: SEMI (www.semi.org) and SEAJ (www.seaj.or.jp), April 2022
