FRANKFURT – Germany area PCB sales slumped 17.4% in the second quarter from a year ago thanks to a Covid-19 lull, according to ZVEI.

MILPITAS, CA – Soaring pandemic-inspired demand for chips that power everything from communications and IT infrastructures to personal computing, gaming and healthcare electronics will drive an 8% increase in global fab equipment spending in 2020 and a 13% increase in 2021, according to SEMI. Rising demand for semiconductors for data center infrastructures and server storage, along with the buildup of safety stock as US-China trade tensions intensify, is also contributing to this year’s growth.