社媒转发称半导体设备交付周期延长至原来1.5至2倍

Semiconductor Equipment Delivery Times Double, Putting Chipmakers Under Pressure

Lead times for major semiconductor manufacturing equipment have recently increased by as much as twofold. The surge is being driven by simultaneous fab investments by global chipmakers, which have caused equipment orders to skyrocket.

As equipment lead times emerge as a critical factor in production planning, competition among chipmakers to secure machinery is expected to intensify. South Korean semiconductor manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which are pursuing the construction of multiple fabs, have begun considering countermeasures such as placing purchase orders earlier than usual.

According to industry sources on the 23rd, lead times for key equipment supplied by the world’s five largest semiconductor equipment manufacturers—Applied Materials, ASML, Lam Research, Tokyo Electron, and KLA, which together account for 70% of the global market—have increased by 1.5 to two times. This means that the period between a chipmaker issuing a purchase order and receiving the equipment has nearly doubled.

Although lead times vary by process, equipment that would normally take six months to deliver may now arrive only a year after the order is placed.

Lead times have increased not only for global equipment manufacturers but also for major South Korean suppliers. One domestic company, identified only as Company A, supplies front-end and back-end equipment to TSMC and Micron. Lead times for some of its equipment have increased from three to four months to six to eight months. Company B, which supplies back-end equipment to Micron, has also seen its lead times increase by 50%. Some equipment is reportedly taking more than a year to deliver.

“Even equipment manufacturers that secured production capacity in advance are seeing longer lead times and are now operating their production lines at full capacity,” a senior semiconductor equipment industry official said. “Companies that were not prepared to expand capacity are facing continuous delivery delays as orders pour in.”

The increase in equipment lead times is also expected to affect fabs currently being planned by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. If equipment is not delivered on schedule, the fabs may begin operations later than originally planned. Purchasing teams at both companies are therefore closely monitoring equipment lead times and developing countermeasures, according to industry sources.

“Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are looking to place purchase orders earlier than before to account for longer equipment lead times,” an industry official said. “Equipment delivery schedules have become a critical issue that could affect fab investment and operational plans.”

Semiconductor equipment lead times also rose sharply in 2021 and 2022. At the time, however, supply chains—including logistics networks—were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The current situation is different: this time, the problem stems from large-scale fab investments by governments and companies around the world.

The spread of artificial intelligence has accelerated infrastructure investment and sharply increased semiconductor demand. In response, chipmakers are building fabs in multiple locations and seeking to install the necessary equipment. As orders rapidly accumulate at major equipment manufacturers, delivery times are becoming longer.

With chipmakers worldwide expected to continue investing in fabs to expand semiconductor production capacity, equipment lead times are likely to keep increasing for some time. Concerns are also mounting that shortages could spread beyond semiconductor equipment to the broader range of facilities and resources needed for fab construction.

“Competition to secure the equipment and infrastructure required to build fabs will intensify worldwide,” another industry official said. “Companies that fail to secure such resources preemptively could lose influence in the race for semiconductor production capacity.”

$ASML $AMAT $KLAC