MILPITAS, CA – Global semiconductor materials market revenue in 2023 contracted 8.2% to $66.7 billion from the market record of $72.7 billion set in 2022, SEMI reported in its Materials Market Data Subscription (MMDS).

Wafer fabrication materials revenue declined 7% to $41.5 billion in 2023, while packaging materials revenue fell 10.1% to $25.2 billion last year. The silicon, photoresist ancillaries, wet chemicals, and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) segments logged the biggest contractions in the wafer fabrication materials market. The organic substrates segment accounted for much of the packaging materials market contraction.

Demand for semiconductors softened in 2023 as the industry worked to reduce excess inventory, leading to lower fab utilization rates and, consequently, a drop in materials consumption.

Taiwan, at $19.2 billion in revenue, was the world's largest consumer of semiconductor materials for the 14th consecutive year. China, at $13.1 billion in revenue, continued to register year-over-year growth, ranking second in 2023, while Korea remained the third largest consumer with $10.6 billion in revenue. All regions except China posted high single- or double-digit declines in 2023.