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TAP TIMES -12- AUGUST 2022

SEMICON West (from 11) Silicon wafer shipments
set record in second quarter

MILPITAS, Calif. — Worldwide silicon
wafer area shipments in the second
quarter of 2022 surpassed the previ-
ous record high set in the first quarter
of the year, edging up 1% quarter-
over-quarter to 3,704 million square
inches, according to the SEMI Silicon
Manufacturers Group (SMG).

While “liitle cable cars running halfway to the stars” are 5% growth over Q2 last year
iconic from the song Tony Bennett popularized, San Mateo
had its own cables cars — cable car models over a truck in its quarterly report of the silicon wa-
chassis. (Ron Iscoff archives) fer industry. Second-quarter silicon wafer
shipments saw 5% growth from the 3,534
Cypress, Oak, Redwood, Sequoia, etc. million square inches reported during the
same quarter last year.
The San Mateo venue was a victim of its
own success. Eventually, despite adding “Silicon shipments and demand remain
temporary tents that baked visitors and robust driven by a strong semiconductor
costly equipment at insufferable high tem- market,” said Anna-Riikka Vuorikari-Anti-
peratures, San Mateo outgrew the show. kainen, Cchairman of SEMI SMG and Chief
Discussions to enlarge the fairgrounds Commercial Officer at Okmetic.
failed.
Upward pricing pressure
San Francisco here we come “Inflation, as in the case of other wafer
From 1992-1996, SEMICON West moved fabrication materials, continues to place
to Moscone Center. It again outgrew the upward pricing pressures on silicon. Wa-
San Francisco venue. SEMI then split the fer supply, in the face of continuing semi-
show between Moscone and McEnerny conductor fab expansions, remains con-
Convention Center in San Jose. strained,” she added.
semi.org
Then, in 2005, SEMI decided to reunify
the show. A Moscone expansion greeted
to move back to San Francisco. San Jose ADVERTISERS
was not a great location, but it offered one BoraCEM Engineering boracem.com
thing San Francisco did not: It is in the Contech Solutions contechsolutions.com
heart of Silicon Valley, where many buyers E-tec e-tec.com
work. HCD Corp. hcdcorp.com
LEENO Industrial leeno.com
MCT Worldwide mctint.com
If you were to ask the oddsmakers if a Mirror Semiconductor mirrorsemi.com
move is likely for next year, the answer OKins Electronics okinsglobal.com
appeared at this year’s show on signage Signal Integrity signalin.com
that announced 2023’s Moscone Center TAP TIMES taptimes.com
topline.tv
Topline
dates, July 11-13.