MILPITAS, Calif. – February 22, 2021 – Virtual Flexible Hybrid Electronics Conference and Exhibition (FLEX Conference 2021) opens today, gathering more than 100 industry leaders, visionaries and technology experts for four days of insights into the latest trends, innovations and developments in flexible hybrid and printed electronics aimed at cutting-edge applications that deepen interactions between users and their surroundings. Registration is open.

Themed 20 Years of Driving Innovation to Make the World Safer, FLEX Conference 2021 focuses on materials, processes and equipment that enable business strategies to help drive electronics innovation. The annual event features keynotes, panels, technical sessions, TechTALKS and networking opportunities.

Keynotes by industry executives and experts from Imprint Energy, Elephantech, PlayNitride Display, Air Force Research Laboratory, UC Berkeley and University of Cambridge will highlight advancements in wearable medical devices, electronics for the brain, high-performance green batteries and advanced materials.
Industry Leaders to Present at FLEX Conference 2021

• Companies and Research Centers – Google, GE Research, HP Incorporated, NovaCentrix, Palo Alto Research Center, AiQ Smart Clothing, Alertgy, Birla Carbon, CCDC Army Research Lab, CHASM Advanced Materials, General Silicones, IDTechEx, ITN Energy Systems, Lithium Battery Engineering and NextFlex
• Academia – Auburn University, Eindhoven University of Technology, Soochow University, Tohoku University, UCLA, University of Manchester, Simon Fraser University, Stanford University, SUNY-Buffalo, UC-San Diego, University of Arizona, University of Washington and Yamagata University 

A special session, Promoting Diversity in Tech – Bringing Awareness to Unconscious Biases, will highlight diversity and mentoring opportunities in the electronics design and manufacturing industry. See the complete agenda for FLEX Conference 2021.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Technology Communities, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association contact

Scott Stevens, Cardinal Communications for SEMI Americas
Phone: 1.512.288.4050
Email: [email protected]

• Read more about Virtual FLEX Conference 2021 Opens with Leading-Edge Innovations to Make the World Safer

MILPITAS, Calif. – February 18, 2021 – In a letter sent to President Biden today, SEMI, the industry association serving the global electronics design and manufacturing supply chain, and 16 organizations representing industries including automotive, medical and technology urged the Biden administration to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research. The letter calls for funding the initiatives authorized in the CHIPS for America Act and the enactment of a federal investment tax credit (ITC) for semiconductor manufacturing facilities and equipment that would quickly provide a significant, direct and transparent incentive to all companies investing in new and expanded semiconductor facilities in the United States.

While U.S.-headquartered companies account for nearly half of global semiconductor sales and lead in market share across semiconductor manufacturing equipment, design software and key materials, only 12 percent of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity is located in the U.S. Robust incentives in other countries and the lack of a federal U.S. incentive have contributed to a 50 percent decline in the U.S. share of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity over the past 20 years. Funding the bipartisan CHIPS for America Act, passed in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and enacting an ITC for semiconductor investments would create strong incentives and public investments to support the semiconductor industry in driving innovation across sectors throughout the economy and would help spur the creation of thousands of new jobs nationwide.

“Increased federal investments in semiconductor research and manufacturing will enable critical innovation that benefits a wide range of industries that rely on semiconductors, as evidenced by the organizations that cosigned this letter,” stated Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO. “To reverse the declining U.S. share of global semiconductor manufacturing, we call for funding incentive programs passed last year in the NDAA and enacting an investment tax credit that would be an immediate, broad-based incentive to build new and expanded manufacturing capacity at all technology nodes.”

The following groups signed the letter: Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Autos Drive America, CTIA, Global Business Alliance, IPC International, Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), SEMI, Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), Tech CEO Council, TechNet, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Trusted Supplier Steering Group, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SEMI Contact
Samer Bahou/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7870
Email: [email protected]

• Read more about SEMI and 16 Industry Groups Send Letter to President Biden Urging Support for CHIPS Act Funding and Investment Tax Credit

MILPITAS, Calif. – February 16, 2021 – SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, today announced that SEMICON West 2021 and the Design Automation Conference (DAC) have been rescheduled for their first colocation at the Moscone Center in San Francisco to December 5-9 to enable their return to a live exhibition and conference. SEMICON West 2021 will be held December 7-9 in Moscone North and South and the 58th DAC will take place at Moscone West December 5-9, 2021.

SEMICON West is the flagship microelectronics annual conference in North America. Combining a live conference with a virtual platform, the 51st SEMICON West will gather global thought leaders and visionaries to highlight the latest electronics trends, innovations, and developments in keynotes, TechTALKS and Meet the Experts sessions. The event will also feature live and online professional and business networking to help attendees grow their businesses.

“With the rapid globalization of world economies and markets, the collocation of these bellwether events has never been more timely,” said Dave Anderson, president of SEMI Americas and host of SEMICON West. “As a means to improve collaboration for exploring the shared challenges and opportunities for helping our society and planet, this colocation will lay a new foundation for faster innovation through the cross-industry, face-to-face interactions that we are all eager to resume.”

SEMI promotes connections, collaboration and innovation in electronics design and advanced manufacturing to promote microelectronics industry growth. The colocation of SEMICON West and DAC will offer cross-industry forecasts and technical programs to accelerate connections across the global supply chain.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities, defined groups within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contact   
Scott Stevens, Cardinal Communications for SEMI Americas
Phone: 1.512.288.4050 
Email: [email protected]

• Read more about SEMICON West Rescheduled to December 2021 for Inaugural Colocation with Design Automation Conference

MILPITAS, Calif. — Feb. 2, 2021 — Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments in 2020 increased while revenue remained unchanged from 2019 at $11,170 million, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry. Silicon shipments totaled 12,407 million square inches (MSI), compared to 11,810 MSI shipped in 2019, a rebound in volume of 5% year over year, recovering close to the historic high set in 2018.

“2020 silicon wafer shipment growth was driven by healthy 300mm demand and a strong second half of 2020 despite disruptions to the semiconductor industry caused by COVID-19,” said Neil Weaver, chairman SEMI SMG and vice president, Product Development and Applications Engineering at Shin Etsu Handotai America.

Annual Silicon* Industry Trends

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), January 2021
* Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications.

All data cited in this release includes polished silicon wafers such as virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers, as well as non-polished silicon wafers shipped to end users.

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which, in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. The highly engineered thin, round disks are produced in various diameters – from one inch to 12 inches – and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices, or chips, are fabricated.

The SMG is a sub-committee of the SEMI Electronic Materials Group (EMG) and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi). The purpose of the SMG is to facilitate collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.

For more information, please visit SEMI Worldwide Silicon Wafer Shipment Statistics.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Association Partners, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contact

Michael Hall/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7988
Email: [email protected]

• Read more about 2020 Global Silicon Revenue Remains Stable as Wafer Area Shipments Edge Up Despite COVID-19 Disruption

SEOUL, South Korea — February 2, 2021 — SEMICON Korea 2021 Virtual opens tomorrow with cutting-edge innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), smart manufacturing, sustainable manufacturing and sensors for a hyper-connected world in focus. Registration for the February 3-12 online conference is open until Feb. 5.

Themed Toward the Hyper-Connected World, SEMICON Korea 2021 will offer the latest microelectronics industry insights and developments during 20 virtual sessions featuring more than 120 experts across critical areas of semiconductor manufacturing including AI, smart manufacturing, design automation, metrology and inspection, test, MEMS and sensors, and sustainability.

SEMICON Korea 2021 Live Keynotes

	Seon Yong Cha, Head of DRAM Development and Executive Vice President at SK hynix Economic, Social, and Environmental Sustainability in Memory
	Luc Van den hove, President and CEO of imec Technologies for People in the New Normal
	Gary E. Dickerson, President and CEO of Applied Materials The Next Normal: Innovate Anywhere, Collaborate Everywhere

SEMICON Korea 2021 On-Demand Programs – Unlimited Viewing Feb. 3-12

• SEMI Technology Symposium (STS) – STS will cover the latest trends and innovations  in the next generation of semiconductor technologies including lithography, interconnect, device, etch, contamination-free manufacturing, CMP and packaging.
• AI Summit – AI industry leaders from around the world will share insights into the latest advances in AI software, hardware, design and applications.
• Design Automation Forum – Offered for the first time at SEMICON Korea, the forum will feature EDA and IP solution companies examining key chip design challenges and solutions related to low power, security and miniaturization.
• Market Trends Forum – SEMI and global market research firms including IDC, VLSI Research, Techcet, and Hana Financial Investment will explore the latest impacts of COVID-19 on the semiconductor industry, AI and 5G trends.
• MEMS & Sensor Summit – Leading MEMS and sensors companies will discuss their visions, technology roadmaps and business models for enabling the next wave of advances in IoT, AI and edge computing.
• Metrology and Inspection (MI) Forum – With devices shrinking to sub-10nm and moving to 3D architectures, metrology and inspection is growing in importance. Nine distinguished speakers will explore MI challenges and solutions in three key areas: Alternative MI, Novel Method and Reliability.
• Smart Manufacturing Forum – Smart manufacturing technologies and applications are critical enablers of the digital transformation. Global smart manufacturing experts will discuss technology trends in areas ranging from hardware to systems.
• Sustainable Manufacturing Forum – Experts, researchers and practitioners will highlight recent innovations, trends, issues and solutions in sustainable manufacturing as the world combats climate change.
• Test Forum – With 5G and AI powering a more connected world, test must become smarter to address rising quality demands while controlling costs. Industry experts will  discuss solutions such as highly accurate and flexible instrumentation, smarter strategies, self test, adaptive test, system-level test, and more sophisticated test hardware.
• Workforce Development – Aspiring semiconductor industry talent including university students will connect with engineers for mentoring during Meet the Experts! for help preparing for a career in the industry. Offered for the first time at SEMICON Korea 2021, Women-in-Technology will gather female leaders from SK Telecom, LG Chem, Lam Research, KLA and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany to provide insights into how companies can improve their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to attract more women to the chip industry.

All SEMICON Korea 2021 virtual conferences are accessible with an All-In Pass for unlimited viewing of on-demand content throughout the event. Register here.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contact

Jaegwan Shim/SEMI
Phone: 82.02.531.7804
Email: [email protected]

• Read more about SEMICON Korea 2021 Opens Tomorrow With AI, Sensors, Smart Manufacturing and Talent in the Spotlight

MILPITAS, Calif. — January 28, 2021 — SEMI applauds the Biden administration for returning to the Paris Agreement, which has signed by more than 195 nations since 2015. The newly inaugurated U.S. president took this important step on January 20, 2021. The agreement provides for global coordination in addressing and mitigating the harmful effects of climate change.

From hosted sessions at SEMICON expositions worldwide to focused technical presentations, SEMI is committed to industry education on climate change. Additionally, SEMI Standards are contributing to specifications for more efficient use of manufacturing equipment and materials, reducing water usage and electricity consumption, and ensuring employee safety and well-being.

This year, SEMI will launch a Sustainability Initiative to further support the microelectronics industry’s efforts to be exemplary corporate citizens.  

“SEMI takes our global responsibility to address climate change seriously, and we encourage all nations and industries to resolve to bring about a healthier planet and assure resources for future generations,” stated Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO. “Our members provide the building blocks for digital transformation and a smarter world, and SEMI will continue to foster industry collaboration to advance technology that will help to mitigate climate change.”

About SEMI SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contact

Samer Bahou/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7870
Email: [email protected]

• Read more about SEMI Statement on U.S. Return to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change

PENANG, Malaysia — January 26, 2021 — With the world continuing to combat COVID-19, SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, today announced the postponement of SEMICON Southeast Asia (SEA) to 17-19 August 2021 to ensure the safety of exhibitors, partners and guests. The exposition venue – the Setia SPICE Convention Centre in Penang – will remain unchanged.

Themed Think Smart, Make Smart, SEMICON SEA 2021 will gather industry experts to highlight the latest developments, innovations and trends in segments of electronics including smart manufacturing, smart mobility, smart data, AI and 5G as technology continues to reshape the way people work and live. SEMICON SEA is the premier electronics manufacturing event in Southeast Asia.

SEMICON SEA 2021 will offer traditional opportunities to generate new business opportunities at physical booths and as hybrid event will add a new online networking lounge, chat rooms on various key industry topics, and live broadcasts to enable business matching.

SEMI is committed to protecting the health and safety of SEMICON SEA 2021 participants with on-site measures to ensure a safe venue, while enabling uninterrupted business exchanges and opportunities for companies across the regional electronics design and manufacturing supply chain to grow their businesses.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Association Partners, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contact

Carmen Chaw/SEMI
Program and Marketing
Phone: 65.6391.9516
Email: [email protected]

• Read more about SEMICON Southeast Asia Postponed to August 2021 with Smart Technologies in Focus

MILPITAS, Calif. — January 25, 2021 — North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.68 billion in billings worldwide in December 2020 (three-month average basis), according to the December Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Billings Report published today by SEMI. The billings figure is 2.6 percent higher than the final November 2020 billings of $2.61 billion and is 7.6 percent higher than the December 2019 billings level of $2.5 billion.

“December billings of North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers grew to finish this challenging year with annual billings that surpassed the previous industry high set in 2018,” said Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO. “The record high demonstrates the semiconductor industry's central role in enabling the digital transformation throughout the pandemic.”

The SEMI Billings report uses three-month moving averages of worldwide billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), January 2021

SEMI publishes a monthly North American Billings report and issues the Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS) report in collaboration with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ). The WWSEMS report currently reports billings by 24 equipment segments and by seven end market regions. SEMI also has a long history of tracking semiconductor industry fab investments in detail on a company-by-company and fab-by-fab basis in its World Fab Forecast and SEMI FabView databases. These powerful tools provide access to spending forecasts, capacity ramp, technology transitions, and other information for over 1,000 fabs worldwide. For an overview of available SEMI market data, please visit www.semi.org/en/MarketInfo.

The data contained in this release were compiled by David Powell, Inc., an independent financial services firm, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. SEMI and David Powell, Inc. assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contact

Michael Hall/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7988
Email: [email protected]

Notes

Next SEMI Billings report is February 22, 2021 at 3:00pm Pacific.

For information on SEAJ Billings Express Report, visit www.seaj.or.jp.

• Read more about North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts December 2020 Billings

MILPITAS, Calif. — January 25, 2021 — The SEMI Foundation has appointed Debbie Gustafson, CEO of Energetiq Technology, a maker of advanced light sources used in semiconductor equipment, and Tony J. Blevins, vice president of Procurement at Apple, to the SEMI Foundation Board of Trustees.

“Debbie’s long career and experience in the semiconductor industry has formed her passion for and support of diversity and inclusion,” said Shari Liss, Executive Director of the SEMI Foundation. “Having Tony on board brings Apple’s vast expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion to the SEMI Foundation. Their passion will help the Foundation fulfill its vision to spur growth of the industry talent pipeline while promoting greater diversity and inclusion and advancing women in positions of leadership.”

Gustafson quickly understood the challenges of female engineers shortly after arriving at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. As one of three female engineering students in a class of 35 with all male professors, she was expecting equitable treatment in school and, after graduation, in the microelectronics industry – an expectation that was unfulfilled. Today, Gustafson works to educate people in the industry about unconscious bias while promoting diversity and inclusion at Energetiq. She has also stressed the importance of mentoring in promoting women in leadership and of creating a strong support network as a speaker at SEMI events.

“I am passionate about promoting diversity in STEM and know that a diverse workforce is essential to company innovation and growth,” Gustafson said. “I look forward to working with the SEMI Foundation team to support its mission and advocate for diversity and inclusion to help underrepresented populations thrive in the high-tech industry.”

Since 2000, Blevins has supervised a large international and multi-disciplined staff at Apple. Before joining Apple, Blevins held positions at IBM in engineering, finance, production control and procurement. His many international assignments led to his role as program director at IBM’s development lab in Greenock, Scotland. Blevins is also a board member of Next Gen Cyber Talent, whose mission is to provide diverse talent to educate the underprivileged and underserved, as well as career assistance in cybersecurity, privacy, compliance and data science.

”My longstanding belief is that not only is it right for any business to practice inclusion, but that a diversity of ideas and perspectives produces the best business results,” Blevins said. “It’s also been proven that education is the great equalizer when it comes to equality, inclusion and diversity.”

See the complete listing of SEMI Foundation Board members.

About the SEMI Foundation
The SEMI Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 2001 to support economic opportunity for workers and the sustained growth of the microelectronics industry. The Foundation works to attract, develop, and retain a well-trained and innovative workforce through educational programs, diversity initiatives to support women, veterans, and people of color, and member engagement. The Foundation’s longest-running program, SEMI High Tech U, inspires high-school students to pursue STEM college educations and careers, Since 2002, High Tech U programs in Austria, France, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States have directly influenced and inspired more than 8,200 students and teachers.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Association Partners, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contact
Michael Hall/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7988
Email: [email protected]

• Read more about Apple and Energetiq Executives Appointed to SEMI Foundation Board of Trustees