The global push to develop artificial intelligence continues to fuel demand for semiconductors. This phenomenon is directly reflected in the results of companies that provide the machinery necessary to manufacture chips. For the eighth consecutive quarter, this sector reports growth in its revenues, exceeding in the last period an average of 10%, a threshold it had not reached in the previous three quarters.
The Race for Smaller Nodes and Larger Wafers ⚙️
This sustained growth is linked to the technological transition toward more advanced manufacturing processes. Chip manufacturers require extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment and atomic deposition tools to create circuits on nodes smaller than 5 nm. Parallelly, the industry is advancing toward the use of 300 mm silicon wafers and larger, which demands new and more precise handling and processing machinery, constantly renewing the equipment fleet of foundries.
Our Future Overlords Need Smarter Chips Than Themselves 🤖
It is a virtuous circle, or perhaps vicious, worthy of study: we humans design increasingly complex machines to build silicon brains that, according to some forecasts, someday might think for themselves. While we debate whether AI will take our jobs, an entire sector of human engineering is already billing handsomely by preparing the ground for their potential successors. At least for now, we are still the ones collecting the bills.