Taiwan overtook South Korea to become the world’s second-largest semiconductor equipment market in the third quarter, as chipmakers boost investments in artificial intelligence and mature technology production.
Taiwan’s equipment shipments reached $4.69 billion in the quarter, jumping 20% from the previous quarter and 25% from a year earlier, according to SEMI data. The island’s performance edged past South Korea’s $4.52 billion in shipments.
China maintained its position as the largest market with shipments of $12.93 billion, up 17% year-over-year. North America recorded the strongest growth, with shipments surging 77% to $4.43 billion compared to the same period last year.
Global semiconductor equipment shipments climbed to $30.38 billion in the third quarter, representing a 13% increase from the previous quarter and a 19% rise year-over-year.
Japan’s shipments increased 8% quarter-on-quarter to $1.74 billion, while Europe saw $1.05 billion in shipments, marking a 38% decline from the previous year despite an 11% quarterly increase.
The industry growth reflects increased investment in AI-related chip production and mature node technologies, SEMI noted.
