Silicon wafer quotations continue to rise, and visibility has reached 2018

The global semiconductor silicon wafer industry, after the wave of expansion around 2008, caused the price to collapse from US$1.04 (per square inch) in 2009 to US$0.67 in the fourth quarter of last year before rebounding. During this period of time, suppliers have successively withdrawn from the market, shrinking from the peak of more than 20 in the past to 6; on the other hand, with the rapid rise of smartphones, Internet of Things and automotive electronics, there is a demand for semiconductor silicon wafers. Significant increase. In 2016, shipments have grown for three consecutive years and hit a record high.

In addition, the huge increase in investment in mainland semiconductors has brought amazing new demand. The quotations in the first quarter of this year continued to rise, and the second quarter was raised again. The cumulative increase in the six months has reached 25-35%, and the increase has been from 12 inches to The 8-inch, 6-inch spread, and even the test piece has skyrocketed.

Xu Xiulan, chairman of Global Crystal, a subsidiary of Zhongmeijing, believes that this wave of price increases belongs to the "super cycle" of the industry boom. It seems to be better than each season, and it is expected to continue all the way into 2019. And Taishengke, a joint venture between Formosa Plastics and Japanese semiconductor silicon wafer leader SUMCO, said more bluntly that the visibility of the entire industry has reached 2018.

Global Crystal launches a major merger every 4 years, first buying GlobiTech from the United States, acquiring Covalent from Toshiba Group in 2012, and acquiring SEMI (Sun Edison Semiconductor) in December 2016. These three shots were all selected when the industry was in a downturn and the acquired target was losing money. Not only did they save significant acquisition costs, but also reduced considerable plant and equipment depreciation. It was also the key to the fact that Global Crystal's cost competitiveness was significantly higher than the industry. After the acquisition of SEMI, Global Crystal became the third largest plant in the world in terms of production capacity, and became the "world's largest beneficiary" under the effect of this wave of price increases.