November 26, 2007 – Worldwide semiconductor capacity and output both rose about 6% in 3Q07 vs. the prior quarter, but factory utilization stayed roughly flat, remaining just under the 90% level for the fifth straight quarter, according to data from Semiconductor International Capacity Statistics (SICAS).

Year-on-year, total IC capacity rose 16.3% to 2102.1M wafer starts/week (WSPW), while actual wafer starts rose 17.6% to 1882.6M WSPW, resulting in an 89.6% utilization rate, down a tick from 89.7% in 2Q. For total semiconductors, capacity rose 5.3% Q-Q (to 2288.1M WSPW) vs. a 5.2% rise in actual wafer starts (to 2044.9M WSPW), for a utilization rate of 89.4%. In MOS total, capacity rose 6.2% Q-Q and 17.5% Y-Y to 2025.4M WSPW, vs. 6.0% Q-Q/18.5% Y-Y growth in actual wafer starts, causing MOS total utilization rates to fall back just below the 90% mark (89.8%).

As with SICAS’ 2Q results in August, foundries helped boost the numbers with double-digit (13.3%) increases in output, but in 3Q they also added 11.4% more capacity, hiking their utilization rate to 94.2%, the highest it’s been since 2Q06. Foundry production has increased 37% since 1Q07, more than twice the rate of capacity additions (16.4%).

Leading-edge chip manufacturing (<120nm MOS) continued to ramp in 3Q, with capacity rising to 934.8M WSPW (13.6% Q-Q, 48.9% Y-Y) and actual wafer starts increasing to 867.5M WSPW (12.8% Q-Q, 46.6% Y-Y). Utilization rates slipped slightly to 92.8%.

TOTAL MOS
…………….1Q04………2Q04………3Q04………4Q04………1Q05………2Q05………3Q05………4Q05………1Q06………2Q06………3Q06………4Q06………1Q07………2Q07………3Q07

Capacity (WSPW x 1000)
…………..1265.3…..1297.0…..1345.3…..1363.4…..1403.9…..1427.6…..1482.9…..1538.2…..1611.0…..1660.4…..1723.3…..1799.8…..1811.8…..1906.9…..2025.4
% Q-Q…….2.4………..2.5………..3.7………..1.3………..3.0………..1.7………..3.9………..3.7………..4.7………..3.1………..3.8………..4.4………..0.7………..5.2………..6.2
% Y-Y…….10.6………8.4……….9.5……….10.3………11.0………10.1………10.2………12.8………14.8………16.3……….16.2……….17.0……….12.5……….14.8……..17.5

Actual (WSPW x 1000)
…………..1190.0…..1240.6…..1249.6…..1179.0…..1201.6…..1278.1…..1345.7…..1424.3…..1453.5…..1524.7…..1534.7…..1568.6…..1589.7…..1715.3…..1818.9
% Q-Q………4.6…………4.3……….0.7…………-5.6………….1.9………..6.4…………5.3………….5.8…………2.1……….4.9………….0.7…………2.2…………1.3…………7.9…..6.0
% Y-Y………24.5………20.0………14.0………….3.6………….1.0…………3.0…………7.7………..20.8………21.0……….19.3……….14.0………..10.1……….9.4………12.5…..18.5

Utilization
rate………………94.0…………95.7…………92.9………….86.5…………85.6…………89.5…………90.7………….92.6…………90.2…………91.8…………89.1………..87.2………..87.7………..90.0…………89.8

TOTAL ICs
…………….1Q04………2Q04………3Q04………4Q04………1Q05………2Q05………3Q05………4Q05………1Q06………2Q06………3Q06………4Q06………1Q07………2Q07………3Q07

Capacity (WSPW x 1000)
…………..1372.5……1405.8……1454.3……1466.4……1508.3……1529.9…..1580.1…..1634.7…..1702.8…..1744.4…..1808.0…..1883.7…..1892.0…..1987.3…..2102.1
% Q-Q………2.4………….2.4………….3.5………….0.8………….2.9………….1.4…………3.3………..3.5………….4.2…………2.4…………3.6…………4.2…………0.4………..5.0…..5.8
% Y-Y……….9.8………….7.5…………..8.6…………9.4…………..9.9………….8.8…………8.7………11.5……….12.9………14.0……….14.4……….15.2……….11.1……..13.9…..16.3

Actual (WSPW x 1000)
…………..1281.6……1340.9……1345.2……1260.9…..1279.6…..1362.5…..1424.0…..1500.4…..1524.6…..1591.2…..1600.3…..1628.3…..1654.7…..1781.9…..1882.6
% Q-Q………4.4………….4.6………….0.3…………-6.3…………1.5…………6.5…………4.5…………5.4…………1.6………..4.4…………0.6………….1.8………..1.6…………7.7…..5.6
% Y-Y……..23.9………..19.3………..13.2………….2.7……….-0.2…………1.6…………5.9……….19.0……….19.1………16.8………12.4………….8.5…………8.5………12.0…..17.6

Utilization
rate………………93.4…………95.4………….92.5…………86.0…………84.8……….89.1…………90.1…………91.8…………89.5…………91.2…………88.5…………86.4…………87.5…………89.7…………89.6

WaferNEWS source: SICAS