Global semiconductor equipment sales rebounded in 2010, growing 143% on the back of strong demand for automatic test and wafer fabrication equipment.
Research by Gartner shows the overall semiconductor equipment market hit $41 billion in 2010 as it recovered from a two-year slump, with the share of the top ten capital equipment firms growing by close to two percentage points to account for 63.4% of global revenues during the year.
Klaus Rinnen, Gartner’s managing vice president, says the figures point to pent up demand following slow years in 2008 and 2009. A stronger than expected global economy in 2010 also helped the recovery, he notes.
“The year began with technology buys, and capacity purchases soon followed, resulting in one of the hottest growth years in industry history,” Rinnen states.
While production in 1H11 is likely to be impacted by the recent earthquake in Japan, Gartner predicts the market will pick up during the second half of the year.