It's Still Cold and Foggy Out There

Shereen Vaux

Order activity for semiconductor equipment remains at a chilly 44 °F. Subcon/Advanced Packaging is seeing continued demand for high-bandwidth memory and CoWoS due to the generative AI wave while the other markets continue to show weakness. Demand for advanced nodes remains low, but companies are still investing in technology transitions. While memory remains at freezing levels and companies continue to hold back capex investments, Logic chipmakers continue to invest in technology upgrades. On the bright side, Chinese companies continue to stockpile semiconductor equipment amid fears of further technology sanctions. However, these purchases are in the mature and specialty markets.