Global silicon wafer capacity expansion accelerates; 12-inch wafer supply gap may reach 10% in 2024

　　In recent years, the expansion of global silicon wafer capacity has shown an accelerating trend, which is particularly significant in 2024. Driven by the renewable energy transition, the photovoltaic market has rapidly expanded, driving the capacity and output of the silicon wafer industry to increase year by year. According to statistics, by the end of 2024, the total global silicon wafer capacity has reached approximately 1394.9GW, a year-on-year increase of 43.2%, and the output is approximately 803.0GW, a year-on-year increase of 17.8%. Among them, the silicon wafer capacity of Chinese mainland enterprises accounts for 96.7% of the total global capacity, becoming the main driving force for the expansion of silicon wafer capacity.

　　However, despite the rapid expansion of capacity, the supply gap of 12-inch wafers remains severe. With the expansion of global semiconductor foundry capacity, the demand for 12-inch silicon wafers continues to grow, but the expansion speed of silicon wafer factories lags behind that of wafer factories. According to market analysis, it is expected that in the next few years, the global demand for 12-inch silicon wafers will maintain a high compound annual growth rate, while the new capacity of silicon wafer factories will hardly keep up with this pace. Therefore, it is estimated that by 2024, the supply gap of 12-inch wafers may reach about 10%.

　　This supply gap has had a profound impact on the global semiconductor industry chain. As the basic material for semiconductor manufacturing, the shortage of silicon wafers will directly affect the production plan of wafer factories and the delivery cycle of semiconductor products. Therefore, how to effectively solve the silicon wafer supply gap has become a common challenge facing the global semiconductor industry.