Semiconductor Tool Market Continues to Cool

SAN FRANCISCO — Semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales declined sequentially for a second straight month in August, as the fab tool market that has soared for most of 2017 continues its inevitable descent.

The three-month rolling average of semiconductor equipment billings from North American tool vendors dipped to $2.18 billion in August, according to the SEMI trade association. However, billings were still almost 28 percent ahead of the August 2016 figure, SEMI said, and the market remains on pace for record annual sales of more than $49 billion.

Ajit Manocha

Ajit Manocha, SEMI’s president and CEO, said in a press statement that the sequential decline in August signaled “a pause in this year’s extraordinary growth.” Manocha added that monthly billings remain well above last year’s monthly levels.”

Among Japanese semiconductor equipment vendors, August billings dipped slightly from July to about $1.48 billion, according to the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ). August billings were up nearly 42 percent compared to August 2016, SEAJ said.