The eighth edition of KPMG’s annual Global Semiconductor Survey reflects the expectations of senior leaders from the world’s leading semiconductor companies about revenue trends, application markets, technology evolution, geographic growth and other factors influencing the global semiconductor industry over the next three years.
Included in the report is KPMG’s Semiconductor Business Confidence Index, which captures the overall sector outlook.
KPMG’s Semiconductor Business Confidence Index indicates a return to an optimistic outlook among industry leaders about the industry's revenue growth and profitability over the next three years. Executives are calling for a broad-based recovery from this year's downturn, most likely beginning in the second half of 2013 and gaining momentum in 2014.
Consumer electronics and wireless handsets topped the list of leading semiconductor revenue drivers over the next year, with medical, automotive, industrial and power management registering notable gains as promising application markets.
This year’s results also reflect the increased importance of the United States, which replaced China as a leading market for sector growth.
Other survey highlights include:
- Three-quarters of the respondents forecast revenue growth next year, and nearly as many (71 percent) expect profitability to increase as well
- More than three-quarters of the executives expect R&D spending to increase over the next fiscal year, and nearly as many (73 percent) expect their company’s capital investments in equipment and software to rise
- Reflecting their expectations for an industry recovery, two-thirds of the surveyed executives plan to increase their company's headcount during the next fiscal year
- Nearly half of the respondents believe production of 450mm wafers will have a more significant impact on the industry than production at a sub 20 nanometer technology node.