Unlike Intel And TSMC Samsung Electronics’ Semiconductor Investment Expected to Shrink in H2 Year on Year

SEOUL, KOREA 10 August 2016 – 11:45am

Cho Jin-young

According to IC Insights, a market survey organization, in the second half of this year, the total CAPEX of the Big 3 in the global semiconductor industry is forecast to reach US$19.989 billion, up 90{1c8721459c474d1d5b48ba9ae7120e36de45aa62207fb48292a0a282be55d27f} from the first half.

It is forecast that the semiconductor division of Samsung Electronics will invest US$ 7.561 billion, an increase of 120{1c8721459c474d1d5b48ba9ae7120e36de45aa62207fb48292a0a282be55d27f} from US$3.439 billion in the first half. It is said that in the second half, TSMC will spend US$ 6.574 billion, up 92{1c8721459c474d1d5b48ba9ae7120e36de45aa62207fb48292a0a282be55d27f} from the first half.

It is projected that Intel will also invest US$ 5.854 billion, an increase of 61{1c8721459c474d1d5b48ba9ae7120e36de45aa62207fb48292a0a282be55d27f}, compared to the first half. Samsung Electronics said that the company will concentrate on investing in production facilities for V NAND flashes, a strategic NAND flash item. Intel is enforcing intensive investment in turning its plant in Dalian, China into a 3D NAND flash-only production line. It was known that TSMC was intensively investing in expanding mobile AP production lines.

IC Insights forecast that this year, the semiconductor division of Samsung Electronics will invest a total of US$11 billion in facilities, a 15{1c8721459c474d1d5b48ba9ae7120e36de45aa62207fb48292a0a282be55d27f} drop from US$13.010 billion in the previous year. By contrast, IC Insights projected that this year, TSMC and Intel will invest US$10 billion and US$ 9.5 billion in facilities, up 24{1c8721459c474d1d5b48ba9ae7120e36de45aa62207fb48292a0a282be55d27f} and 30{1c8721459c474d1d5b48ba9ae7120e36de45aa62207fb48292a0a282be55d27f} from a year before, respectively.

On the other hand, SK Hynix which ranks fifth in the general semiconductor sector and second in the memory sector said that they invested about 3 trillion won (US$2.6 billion) in the first half of this year and will invest a similar amount in the second half.