Key semiconductor suppliers to spend more, says IC Insights
Six of the 35 major semiconductor suppliers - Intel, Samsung, Hynix, TSMC, UMC, and Rohm - with significant capital expenditure budgets are expected to spend more in 2012 than they did in 2011, reports IC Insights.
With an increase of $1.7 billion, Intel is expected to post the biggest dollar increase in capex spending for 2012, though it is likely to trail Samsung in overall capex spending for the year.
But although only these semiconductor suppliers are expected to increase capital spending this year, IC insights has raised the total semiconductor capital spending forecast figure for 2012 from $60.7 billion to $63.3 billion.
At the same time, total 2012 semiconductor industry capital expenditures are now forecast to decline only 3% this year, compared to 8% decline previously predicted.
And as IC Insights reveals, the big six companies are expected to collectively spend about $5.2 billion more in 2012 than in 2011. In contrast, the total of the remaining capital spending outlays are forecast to decline by about $7.5 billion this year.
As the analyst firm notes, a few of the major outsourced semiconductor assembly and test companies also plan to significantly increase their capital spending from 2011 to 2012, including Amkor, from $493 million to $550 million, SPIL, from $376 million to $585 million, and STATS ChipPAC, from $304 million to $400 million.
IC Insights asserts these increased spending budgets indicate the industry believes semiconductor unit volume shipments will be on the rebound this year.
