MILPITAS, CA – Semiconductor equipment manufacturers worldwide logged sales of $59.8 billion in 2019, down 7% year-over-year, according to SEMI.

Taiwan claimed the largest market for new semiconductor equipment last year, with sales of $17.1 billion, after a 68% growth surge, dislodging Korea from the top spot. China maintained its position as the second largest equipment market, with sales of $13.5 billion, followed by Korea, at $10 billion, after receipts fell 44%. While the new equipment markets in Japan, Europe, and Rest of World contracted, North America equipment sales jumped 40% to $8.2 billion in 2019, the region’s third consecutive annual increase.

Global sales of wafer processing equipment fell 6% in 2019, while other front-end segment sales grew 9%. Assembly and packaging, along with test equipment sales, also faltered, declining 27% and 11%, respectively, while sales to China rose across all major equipment segments, except for assembly and packaging.

Data are compiled from members of SEMI and the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ).