Europe

The photomask market has seen exceptional growth of 13% and 8% in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The upsurge is striking given that, in the early to mid-2000s, the photomask market averaged less than 4 percent annual growth. And the gap between the past two years and the previous ten is remarkable.

SEMI spoke with Andy Collins, manager at Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre (QTEC), ahead of the SEMI Talent Forum (2-3 May, 2019, in Bristol, UK) about the impact of emerging technologies on the future of work in the semiconductor industry.

With three plenaries and a dedicated session on talent and diversity, ISS Europe brought together more than 150 industry, academia, education and government representatives for in-depth discussions on strategies and innovations for Europe to compete globally in the digital era.

For the semiconductor industry, 2018 was nothing if not incredible. Chip revenue shot up to $469 billion, trouncing the record-setting $412 billion reached in 2017 to reach a new high. Both semiconductor equipment and materials hit record revenues of $65 billion and $52 billion, respectively.

Last month, Germany published its National Industrial Strategy 2030, which sets strategic guidelines for a German and European industrial policy. The Strategy has drawn mixed feedback across Europe and internationally. SEMI shares its analysis.

The European Union Machinery Directive aims to both ensure a high level of safety for machinery users and facilitate the free movement of machinery in the EU market. The current proposed revision seeks to address safety challenges arising from technical progress in digitization.

Electronic equipment growth definitely slowed in late 2018. Based on the consolidated revenues of 213 large, global OEMs electronic equipment sales grew only 2.1 percent in 4Q’18 vs. 4Q’17, down from 4.9 percent in the third quarter and 10 percent in the second quarter.

In 2018, SEMI shared a statement reflecting the common view of key industry associations with the European Commission and Oeko-Institut & Fraunhofer IZM contributing to a study that supports the review of the list of restricted substances and assesses a new exemption request under RoHS 2 (Pack 15).

Custer Consulting Group has its first estimate of global electronic equipment growth in 4Q’18 vs. 4Q’17.

Last month the European Commission (EC) approved €1.75 billion in public support from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom (UK) to fund the joint European microelectronics project, which brings together businesses across Europe to spur innovation in IoT and connected car technologies.