Wafer capacity by feature size shows rapid growth at <10nm

Leading-edge processes (<28nm) took over as the largest portion in terms of monthly installed capacity available in 2015. By the end of 2019, <28nm capacity is forecast to represent about 49 percent of the IC industry’s total capacity.

At the very leading edge, <10nm processes are now in volume production and are forecast to represent 5 percent of worldwide capacity in 2019. The share of <10nm capacity is forecast to jump to 25 percent and become the largest capacity segment by 2023. South Korea (Samsung) and Taiwan (TSMC) are currently the only two regions with fabs processing what are being called <10nm processes. South Korea and Japan both have large shares of capacity in the <20nm – ≥10nm segment, with the vast majority of it being used to produce NAND flash (equivalent feature size) and DRAM, but also some for advanced logic and application processors built with 14nm, 10nm, or 8/7nm technology. Taiwan also has a large share of the <20nm – ≥10nm capacity, with roughly half of it being for foundry services and the other half for DRAM production. Trends at the leading edge have been changing and the industry is departing from historical 'norms'. The grey area of what constitutes a generation and how to measure the minimum process geometry gets more difficult every year. Therefore, any assumptions made regarding the wafer fab capacity of new process technologies can have a big impact on the forecast for wafer capacity by minimum feature size. Other findings from the Global Wafer Capacity 2019-2023 report include,

South Korea remains significantly more leading-edge (i.e., <28nm) focused than the other regions or countries. Given Samsung and SK Hynix’s emphasis on high-density DRAM and flash memory products, it is not a surprise that the country has the highest concentration of wafer capacity dedicated to the leading-edge processes
When only the most advanced processes (<20nm) are considered, South Korea also has the largest share of its total capacity dedicated to these processes than any other region. For logic-based processes, Taiwan, North America, and South Korea have the highest concentrations at the leading edge.
Current leading-edge (<28nm) capacity in China is completely owned and controlled by foreign companies, namely Samsung, SK Hynix, Intel, and TSMC.
Taiwan has the largest shares of capacity in the <65nm – ≥28nm and <0.2µ – ≥65nm technology segments. Nevertheless, the 28nm, 45/40nm, and 65nm generations continue to generate significant business volumes for foundries like TSMC and UMC

The connector company had to temporarily close its operations in Malaysia on March 18 following a government order. The order is a precautionary measure against Covid19 and is affecting most of the country’s industries.

The manufacturer of discrete semiconductors has provided an update on the operational status of its manufacturing facilities amidst COVID-19 pandemic.

Axcelis Technologies, a supplier of high-productivity solutions for the semiconductor industry, says it has received an order to ship its first Purion system into Japan.

An EUR 8 million equity investment to strengthen partnership between the companies who will co-develop, jointly promote and deploy autonomous driving solutions on the market.

SEMI has urged government representatives around the U.S. and world to designate the semiconductor industry as an essential business so operations at companies across the chip supply chain can continue without interruption as the spread of COVID-19 continues.

Digi-Key Electronics has expanded its product portfolio by signing a North American distribution partnership with Siglent Technologies, providing its customers with electronic test and measurement solutions.

The photonics group Jenoptik will supply infrared optical components to Rheinmetall between 2020 and 2025.

As of April 1, 2020, the company has announced that a new management system will begin, with Tsuneo Takahashi set to become its new President and CEO.

Swedish technology company, Smoltek, says that it has signed an evaluation agreement with an unnamed manufacturer of capacitors.

e-paper display manufacturer, Pervasive Displays (PDi), says it has made a major advancements in product reliability and manufacturing capacity to improve the automated production of electronic paper displays (EPDs).

Analog Devices, Inc. has taken a series of actions to support the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic by expediting production of its healthcare technologies that can help fight the outbreak.

Autec Power Systems, a provider of custom power supplies, high-efficiency LED Drivers, switching power supplies and power management products, has signed accredited distributor New Yorker Electronics to a new distribution pact.