Market Trends of Semiconductor Foundry Industry
Consumer Electronics and Communication to be the Largest End-user Industry
- Consumer electronics is one of the prominent application segments for the semiconductor foundry market. The growing adoption of consumer electronics devices, such as laptops, earphones, wearables, and smartphones, has propelled the segment's growth.
- Semiconductors are essential components of consumer electronics, enabling key features, such as advances in different applications like communication, computing, and others. In addition, the rapid development in the technology and size of consumer electronics has also been leading to the demand for advanced semiconductor technology.
- According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), in the United States, consumer technology industry revenue is projected to grow by 2.8% from 2021's impressive 9.6% growth over the year before. Strong demand for smartphones, health devices, automotive technologies, and streaming services would help the market to propel much of the projected revenue.
- In January 2023, Apple announced its plan to develop its new MacBook Air and iMac with the Apple M3 processor, built on a 3-nanometer process. In line with these plans, in December 2022, TSMC began mass production of its 3-nanometer chip process for the next generations of Mac, iPhone, and other Apple devices.
- Furthermore, the growth in wearables has also been leading to the adoption of new miniaturized chips, which propels the growth of semiconductor foundries that manufacture such chips in bulk. According to Cisco Systems, the number of connected wearable devices in North America reached 439 million in 2022 from 378.8 million in 2021. Globally, the number of connected wearable devices crossed 1 billion.
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North America to Hold Significant Market Share
- The market for semiconductor manufacturing in North America is expanding significantly due to the growing use of semiconductor technology in connected devices and the automotive sector. The North American foundry market is predicted to be dominated by the United States because of the sector's intense competition from international and local competitors.
- Although America's position has faced numerous challenges throughout the years, it has always survived, owing to its resilience and capacity to move more quickly. Since the 1990s, the U.S. semiconductor sector has led the world in chip sales, holding close to 50% of the annual global market share, according to SIA. Additionally, American semiconductor companies continue to lead or be very competitive in research and development, design, and manufacturing process technology.
- Approximately 47% of the chips sold worldwide are created in the United States, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). This discrepancy creates severe threats to the economy and national security of the United States, which is why both business insiders and politicians have recently started to demand the construction of semiconductor fabs in the country. Due to this, with capital investments for new fabs, Intel, Samsung, and TSMC have all expressed a willingness to grow their businesses in the United States, which will significantly support the country's future semiconductor manufacturing sector.
- For instance, Intel initially declared intentions to invest more than USD 20 billion in creating two new cutting-edge chip facilities in Ohio in January 2022. As part of Intel's IDM 2.0 plan, the investment will assist increase production in meeting the soaring demand for advanced semiconductors, powering a new generation of cutting-edge products from the business.
- In addition, TSMC declared in November 2022 that it will start producing 3-nanometer chips at its Arizona factory, where it now supplies Apple, in 2024. The Arizona factory of TSMC is a component of the Biden administration's plan to promote chip manufacturing in the country.
- Moreover, Canada is in a unique position, with economic, financial, and political systems, a highly-trained workforce, and a significant reputation internationally as a country that is open for business and is poised to take essential steps to emerge as a prominent region in the future semiconductor foundry landscape. IBM Microelectronics in Quebec still packages advanced computer chips and is now taking on new optical component technologies required for 5G.
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