Intel, Samsung and TSMC capex projected to rise

A new report by IC Insights predicts Intel, Samsung and TSMC are likely to increase capital expenditures during the second half of the year. Capex of the big three chip makers is expected to rise to almost $20 billion in the second half of the year, roughly 90 percent more than the first half of this year. Total capex for 2016 of the big three is forecasted to reach $30.5 billion, about 7 percent more than the year before.

Combined, the big three firms account for 45 percent of total semiconductor outlays this year. Capex of all other semiconductor makers is expected to decline 16 percent in the second half of the year, resulting in an on-year increase of just 1 percent.

The boost in spending is likely to widen the technology gap between the big three chipmakers and their smaller competitors. Samsung, Intel and TSMC are so far the only semiconductor companies to have announced plans to ramp up production of geometries in the 10nm range and adopt EUV lithography in the next few years.

Source: EE Times