US-based SEMI ((Semiconductor Equipment Materials International) recently predicted that global semiconductor industry’s equipment capex (capital spending) will enjoy three straight years of strong growth during the forecasted period 2020-2022, the Commercial Daily reported on March 19. According to SEMI, semiconductor equipment spending will increase 16% year-on-year to US$74.6 billion in 2021, up from US$64.6 billion in 2020, and will continue to grow 12% year-on-year to top US$83.6 billion in 2022. The majority of semiconductor capex will be allocated for the foundry and memory sectors. Foundry spending is anticipated to grow 23% year-on-year in 2021 to US$32 billion while memory spending to reach US$28 billion in 2021. Meanwhile, DRAM will outpace NAND flash spending for the first time in 2021 and strong market demand for both DRAM and 3D NAND will lead to 26% growth in 2022, noted SEMI. Output value of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is estimated to reach US$ NT$3.4 trillion (US$ 121.4 billion; US$1 = NT$28) in 2021, NT$179.3 billion (US$6.4 billion) and NT$1.7 trillion (US$60.7 billion) of which will be contributed respectively by memory and foundry sectors, according to MIC (Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute), a major government think tank and IT research institute in Taiwan.