February 27, 2004 – Demand for wafers grew nearly 13% in 2004 and will continue at nearly a double-digit pace from now until 2008, according to Semico Research.

Analyst Joanne Itow said the transition to sub-130nm process technologies will drive demand: 16% of all wafers processed in 2003 used 130nm or smaller technologies, and Semico predicts that number will double in 2004 to 31% — 23 million out of 74 million total wafers (not including discretes or bipolars).

Between 2003 and 2008, Semico predicts a 9.2% CAGR in wafer demand due to semiconductor unit growth as well as temporary bump-ups in yields and die sizes from the introduction of new materials and equipment.