SEMI members expect upturn in 1998

Mountain View, CA — Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International`s (SEMI) new Capital Equipment Consensus Forecast reveals its members expect worldwide sales of semiconductor equipment to reach $29 billion in 1998, up from $24 billion in 1995. The survey shows SEMI members collectively anticipate total semiconductor equipment sales of $25.4 billion in 1997, off 5.5 percent from a total of $26.8 billion estimated for 1996. However, growth is expected to return in 1998 and accelerate in 1999, as the semiconductor device industry absorbs excess capacity, and the transition process to 0.25 micron geometries drives year-over-year growth rates to 13.4 percent and 22.2 percent, respectively. The November 1996 edition of the Consensus Forecast includes input from 85 member companies in the United States, Europe and Japan, which represents about 90 percent by sales volume of the total semiconductor equipment industry.