According to the supply chain, due to strong demand, the contract price of 8-inch silicon wafers may increase in the third quarter, with an increase of about 5-10% in the second half of 2021.

Industry insiders pointed out that the 8-inch foundry capacity has been in short supply since the second half of last year. With the continued strong demand for automotive chips and power semiconductors, power management ICs, display driver ICs, and 3D sensing components, and the continued decline in silicon wafer inventory in the market, it is inevitable that 8-inch silicon wafers will be in shortage in the second half of the year.

With almost no expansion of production capacity by silicon wafer suppliers, the spot price of 8-inch silicon wafers is expected to rise quarter by quarter in the second half of the year, and the price of long-term contracts is expected to increase by 5-10% in the second half.

In addition, it is reported that the world’s top three silicon wafer suppliers Japan Shin-Etsu, SUMCO, and GlobalWafers have revealed that the supply of 12-inch silicon wafers is tight, and that the orders for 8-inch silicon wafers have significantly exceeded their production capacity, and they have begun to evaluate the construction of a new silicon wafer plant and increase prices.