SUMCO, a large Japanese silicon wafer manufacturer, said that 12-inch logic silicon wafers are in short supply, and supply and demand will be tighter in the future. Although 8-inch silicon wafers increase in production, supply still cannot keep up with demand, and will increase silicon wafers. Spot price.

SUMCO announced the last quarter (January-March 2021) financial report after the Japanese stock market on the 11th: consolidated revenue increased 5.1% from the same period last year to 75.9 billion yen, consolidated profit fell 19.5% to 9.3 billion yen, and consolidated net profit It fell 13.1% to 7.3 billion yen. SUMCO said that last quarter's operating profit and net profit were better than the company's original estimate of 8.5 billion yen and 5.5 billion yen.

SUMCO pointed out that during the last quarter, the demand for 12-inch silicon wafers for logic was in short supply; in the part of 12-inch silicon wafers for memory, the demand for DRAM showed a recovery and the inventory was close to an appropriate level. In the area of ​​silicon wafers below 8 inches, the supply and demand are tight due to the expansion of demand for automotive/civilian use.

In the price section, SUMCO said that during the last quarter, it continued to maintain long-term contract prices. In the spot price section, 12-inch/8-inch products showed QoQ flat.

Looking ahead to the performance of this quarter (April-June 2021), SUMCO estimates that consolidated revenue will grow 8% to 81 billion yen over the same period last year, and consolidated profit is estimated to be 11.5 billion yen (same level as the same period last year), Consolidated net profit is expected to decline by 5% to 8 billion yen.

SUMCO said that during this quarter, the demand for 12-inch logic silicon wafers will expand, and the supply and demand will become tighter. In the 12-inch memory product segment, following DRAM, NANDFlash also has a recovery trend; for silicon wafers below 8 inches, In addition to automotive/civilian use, demand for industrial use has also recovered. Although production has been increased by expanding personnel, supply still cannot keep up with demand.

In terms of price, SUMCO stated that it will continue to maintain long-term contract prices this season; in the spot price, 12-inch logic silicon wafers are requesting price increases, and 8-inch products are also planning to increase prices in the second half of the year (after October 2021). .

Regarding future prospects, SUMCO pointed out that under the support of 5G/smartphone/data center demand, the shortage of 12-inch logic silicon wafers will continue, and memory silicon wafers will show a tight state as demand returns. Begin to evaluate the use of "GreenField Investment" to expand new capacity, but will still decide whether to implement it depending on future price trends. In the 8-inch product segment, the strong demand is expected to continue for a long time due to the recovery of demand for automotive/civilian/industrial use.

Nikkei News reported on April 17 that SUMCO Chairman and CEO Hashimoto Makoto said in an exclusive interview, "I have been in the semiconductor industry for more than 20 years, and the shortage of chips for such a long period of time has never been seen before. 8 Inch silicon wafers are the main products, and orders that exceed the company’s capacity have flooded in. The company and its customers (semiconductor manufacturers) are all out of stock. From the point of view of usage, logic uses 12-inch silicon wafers, and more What is in short supply is 8-inch products, which are mostly used in automobiles. Since last fall, automobile production has recovered and demand has recovered. Since 2021, supply and demand have shown a very tight state."

Hashimoto pointed out, "The current distressing thing is that there is no plant to increase the production of silicon wafers. In the future, the demand from 5G and data centers will rise. Therefore, it is evaluated to build factories and sales channels from the ground up. GreenFieldInvestment)' time has come". Hashimoto's above remarks also indicate that SUMCO is considering building a new silicon wafer factory.

Hung Masahiko, head of the semiconductor business of Shin-Etsu Chemical, a leading global silicon wafer manufacturer, said at a legal meeting held on April 28 that according to the equipment enhancement plan of semiconductor manufacturers, "the fastest estimate is In the second half of 2022, there will be a shortage of large-size silicon wafers from 2023 at the latest."

Hong Zhengyan revealed that negotiations with customers have begun regarding future investment in increasing production and corresponding price increases.