Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) The production value of Taiwan's semiconductor industry in 2023 is expected to fall 12.7 percent from a year earlier, the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) forecast earlier this week.The ITRI's projection represented a downgrade from an earlier estimate of a 12.1 percent fall made in May, which the institute said was due to weaker-than-expected global demand from end-users resulting from high inflation and aggressive interest rate hikes worldwide.A report from ITRI's Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) on Aug. 14 forecast the output of the local IC industry at NT$4.22 trillion in 2023, compared with NT$4.24 trillion estimated in May.The output value of the pure play wafer foundry business, the largest segment of the semiconductor industry, is expected to fall 11.3 percent from a year earlier to NT$2.38 trillion, a downgrade from NT$2.43 trillion estimated in May, the report said.Weakening demand, which has forced semiconductor clients to hold higher inventories and reduce their orders, has prompted many semiconductor suppliers to cut their sales guidance for 2023.Among them, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, lowered its 2023 sales forecast in July to a 10 percent fall in U.S. dollar terms from 2022, after estimating a 4-6 percent decline in April.July 20: TSMC cuts sales forecast for 2023 amid weak global economyThe IEK said the output value of memory chip suppliers in Taiwan in 2023 is expected to fall 23.6 percent from a year earlier to NT$180 billion, the steepest decline in any of the major segments in the industry.IC packaging and testing services providers are expected to see an 18.5 percent and a 13.0 percent year-on-year fall, respectively, in their production value to NT$379.7 billion and NT$190.3 billion.As for IC designers, their output value is expected to fall 11.6 percent from a year earlier to about NT$1.09 trillion, according to the IEK.The local semiconductor industry generated NT$1.01 trillion in output value in the second quarter of 2023, down 18.0 percent from a year earlier but up 0.7 percent from a quarter earlier, the report said.The production value of pure play wafer foundry operators was NT$564.7 billion, down 13.3 percent from a year earlier and down 3.8 percent from a quarter earlier.Memory chip suppliers had a production value of NT$42.8 billion in the second quarter, down 37.3 percent from a year earlier but up 5.4 percent from a quarter earlier, while IC designers totaled NT$268.5 billion in output, down 22.2 percent from 2022 but up 11.9 percent from a quarter earlier.The production value of IC packaging firms for the second quarter totaled NT$92.7 billion, down 19.4 percent from a year earlier and down 1.4 percent from a quarter earlier, while IC testing services generated NT$46.3 billion in output, down 19.5 percent from a year earlier and down 0.4 percent from a quarter earlier.In the third quarter, the industry's traditional peak season, the output of the local semiconductor industry is expected to grow 7.5 percent from the second quarter to NT$1.09 trillion, the IEK forecast.Some IC designers, however, in particular in the display driver IC design business, appeared downbeat about the quarter and were unsure of they would benefit from traditional peak season effects.Among the companies voicing caution was Novatek Microelectronics Corp., a subsidiary of contract chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp., which has said third-quarter revenue could fall 4-7 percent from the second quarter.In addition, Himax Technologies, Inc. said its third-quarter sales could stay little changed from the second quarter or fall by up to 7 percent.(By Chang Chien-chung and Frances Huang)Enditem/ls (ICE TAIPEI)

Fonte notizia: Organi di Stampa - Focus Taiwan News Channel