GlobalWafers says wafer demand is improving as chip cycle heals - digitimes

GlobalWafers' second-quarter results revealed a positive trend in wafer demand, indicating a recovery in the global semiconductor market. This improvement spans both advanced and mature process nodes,... Read original →

GlobalWafers’ demand uptick signals a genuine semiconductor cycle inflection. Technically, mature-node recovery stems from automotive/industrial MCU restocking, while advanced-node growth is fueled by AI-driven HBM and CoWoS packaging—pushing wafermakers to accelerate 450mm roadmap planning. Geopolitically, U.S. and EU CHIPS Act subsidies mandate local sourcing, compelling Taiwan, China-based firms like GlobalWafers to build fabs in Texas or Dresden, inflating capex by 15–20%. Competitively, SUMCO and Siltronic may restart 8-inch expansions to capture power semiconductor demand, while SK Siltron leverages Samsung’s HBM orders for premium market share. Over the next 12–24 months, the wafer sector will bifurcate: mature utilization exceeds 90%, but advanced supply remains constrained by EUV yield and equipment lead times—creating a ‘tight-high-end, loose-mid-tier’ equilibrium.