Electronic Grade Silicon Market

Electronic Grade Silicon Market Outlook (2022-2032)

The global electronic grade silicon market is currently valued at US$ 3.8 billion and is predicted to expand at a CAGR of 5.8% to reach US$ 6.8 billion by the end of 2032.

High demand for electronic grade silicon, mainly from the semiconductor industry, is poised to drive market growth. Almost 80% of electronic grade silicon is utilized in integrated circuits and microelectronics.

Report Attributes	Details
Electronic Grade Silicon Market Size (2021A)	US$ 3.7 Billion
Estimated Market Value (2022E)	US$ 3.8 Billion
Forecasted Market Value (2032F)	US$ 6.8 Billion
Global Market Growth Rate (2022-2032)	5.8% CAGR
East Asia Market Share (2021)	~30.5%
East Asia Market Growth Rate (2022-2032)	~5% CAGR
Taiwan Market Growth Rate (2022-2032)	~5% CAGR
Market Share of Top 5 Companies	~35.4%
Key Companies Profiled	Daqo New Energy GCL (Group) Holdings Co., Global Wafers Hemlock Semiconductor Operations LLC OCI REC Silicon ASA Silicon Materials, Inc SUMCO SK Siltronic TBEA Co., Ltd Tokuyama Corporation TW Solar Wacker

Electronic Grade Silicon Sales Analysis (2017-2021) Vs. Market Forecasts (2022-2032)

Electronic grade silicon (EGS) is a highly pure form derived from the processing of metallurgical silicon. This form of silicon is extensively used for manufacturing semiconductors to be used in computers and several electronic devices. With the world pacing towards digitalization, demand for high purity electronic grade silicon has risen rapidly in the semiconductor industry.

All electrical & electronic devices constitute semiconductor chips that have electronic grade silicon as a conductive material. The conductivity of semiconductor-grade silicon distinguishes it from other forms of silicon.

With the rising requirement for chips in the semiconductor industry, manufacturers of electronic grade silicon are mainly focused on fulfilling the high demand from chip manufacturers. The industry is already experiencing robust growth, and with advancing technologies, consumption of electronic grade silicon is all set to accelerate even more.

• Short Term (2022 Q2 to 2025): Impact of the pandemic still exists and an evident gap in demand & supply is leading to sluggish growth of the market. Manufacturers are trying to lessen this gap, however, production is hampered due to scarcity of raw materials.
• Medium Term (2025-2028): Asia Pacific market to witness high growth due to rising industrialization and upgradation of economies in the region. Wireless, data storage, and computation devices will mainly drive demand for semiconductor chips containing EGS.
• Long Term (2028-2032): Growing reliance on electronic & telecommunication devices by humans to increase demand for semiconductor chips, leading to more production of electronic grade silicon.

Over the past 4 years, the global EGS market evolved at a CAGR of 4.9%, and, according to Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, EGS consumption is projected to surge at 6.8% CAGR between 2022 and 2032.

Market share analysis of electronic grade silicon based on end use and. Under the end-use segment, microelectronics dominates with 74.6% market share in 2022.

How is the Electronic Grade Silicon Market Expected to Fare Over the Decade?

“Intensifying Demand from IT, Telecommunications, & Electronics Industry”

There is heavy demand for semiconductors in the electrical & electronics industry. Additionally, the digital appliance market is increasing exponentially, and owing to the requirements of consumers, continuous technological upgrades are being seen in the fields of computing, electronics, and telecommunications.

Further, with the penetration of Big Data and automation in all most every industry, there is soaring demand for storage devices. For proper functioning, all these products require integrated chips containing EGS.

Also, consumer inclination towards technology is driving the market and constant innovations are leading a way for technological transformation. This shift can only be achieved with the increased production of electronic grade silicon that is further required for the manufacturing of integrated chips & microelectronics.

Such rising consumption of electronic devices demands the increased production of electronic grade silicon. It also opens an opportunity for manufacturers to increase their investments in production expansion to meet the increasing demand.

“Augmentation of Computing Devices to Accelerate EGS Fabrication in Integrated Chips”

Computing device use case across several end-use verticals is on the rise. Consumer inclination towards advanced electronics gadgets has witnessed a potential surge owing to mounting automation. The Internet of Things has advanced technological upgradation in electronics & telecommunication devices. To employ this technology, augmented computed devices are used to automate operations and store data in the cloud for future reference. New hardware technologies are being employed to support the functioning of these systems.

The base material for these hardware requires the fabrication of polysilicon containing electronic grade silicon. Demand for electronic grade silicon is directly dependent on the integrated chips used in the semiconductor industry.

Since we are living in a digital economy, automation is driving the whole market. Every industrial process is being automated, requiring less manual labor and having a heavy reliance on integrated chip memory for day-to-day activities.

The boost of the semiconductor grade silicon market is assured owing to the increased usage of semiconductors in various end-use sectors.

What’s Challenging Electronic Grade Silicon Market Growth?

“Scarcity of Raw Material & High Cost of Processing”

Even though manufacturers are trying to meet the high demand for integrated chips in the IT & telecommunication industry, maintaining pace with the constantly evolving market is quite difficult. Although silicon, as a raw material, is abundantly available on the Earth’s surface, the purity required for the manufacturing of integrated chips needs a lot of chemical processing. Also, the market has already reached its peak in terms of production & consumption. Thus, the production of EGS is quite capital- and energy-intensive as well.

As overall market demand in different end-use industries is high, semiconductor market players have been investing in alternatives to electronic grade silicon material. If the overall operational cost of electronic grade silicon continues to rise, the market may redirect towards materials such as GaN that function as efficiently as EGS.

Country-wise Insights

Will the Huge Semiconductor Industry in Taiwan Drive High Demand for EGS?

East Asia has become a hub for the semiconductor industry. East Asian countries dominate the foundry market and hold more than 70% of total semiconductor exports, globally.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and its contract manufacturing companies alone hold more than 60% share of global foundry revenue. The company is one of the largest consumers of electronic grade silicon and produces integrated chips. Global electronic device manufacturers are dependent on TSMC for the supply of integrated chips.

Owing to the large-scale production and export of integrated chips, East Asian countries are strengthening their economies on a global level. Taiwan accounts for 34% share of the East Asia market and is set to rise at a CAGR of 5% through 2032.

Why is the U.S. Electronic Grade Silicon Market Highly Lucrative?

North America is the global semiconductor industry leader. From microelectronic chips to medical devices, North America is expected to see accelerated demand for electronic grade silicon.

In North America, the U.S. accounts for 66.6% share of the electronic grade silicon market for the fabrication of integrated chips. These chips are further used for the development of devices used in IT, telecommunications, and automobiles.

Owing to such diverse requirements in various industries, and also, with these industries having become an integral part of the functioning of any businesses around the world, the market is set to witness growth at a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period. The U.S market for electronic grade silicon is currently valued at US$ 621.3 million.

Category-wise Insights

Why is CZ Mono-Crystalline Silicon Most Widely Used?

CZ mono-crystalline silicon is the most preferred choice by semiconductor manufacturers. It is a single crystal used as a base material for the fabrication of integrated chips or microelectronics. CZ is referred to as the Czochralski method used for the purification of metallurgical grade silicon.

CZ monocrystalline silicon holds an approx. share of 58.5% in the global electronic grade silicon market and is mostly used for the production of integrated chips and microelectronics. On the contrary, multi-crystalline silicon is mostly used for the production of photovoltaics that are used in solar panel production.

These two types of electric grade silicon are generally differentiated based on the crystallinity level associated with the silicon ingot.

Currently, CZ monocrystalline silicon is valued at US$ 2.2 billion in the global market, and with increasing demand from the automobile sector, the segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.6% through 2032.

Which End Use of EGS Will Drive High Market Growth?

The global electronic grade silicon market, under end use, is segmented into micro-electric circuits and photovoltaics. The micro-electric circuits segment holds a dominant position in the market with 74.6% share in 2021. Demand for the highly purified version of metallurgical grade silicon is bound to rise on the back of having extremely low impurities suitable for microelectronic device applications.

Segment growth is expected to be 4.7% CAGR during the forecast years 2022 to 2032.

Competitive Landscape

Prominent electronic grade silicon manufacturers are SUMCO, Silicon Materials, Inc, REC Silicon ASA, OCI, GCL (Group) Holdings Co., Hemlock Semiconductor Operations LLC, Wacker, TBEA Co., Ltd, Daqo New Energy, Global Wafers, SK Siltronic, Tokuyama Corporation, and TW Solar.

Electronic grade silicon companies are employing cost-effective methodologies for electronic grade silicon production. Companies are trying to enhance their production capacity to meet the surging demand. Also, an increased interest has been observed from the manufacturers’ side to enhance the efficiency of electronic grade silicon so that its thickness can be used and less quantity is required for each integrated circuit.

• Taiwan-based company Global Wafers plans to build a 300mm-silicon wafer factory in the U.S. to address the global chip shortage issue and ongoing geopolitical concerns.
• In July 2022, GCL Technology, a manufacturer of electronic grade silicon, announced to increase its production capacity to 100,000 tons of granular silicon Fab in Leshan.

Fact.MR has provided detailed information about the price points of key electronic grade silicon manufacturers positioned across regions, sales growth, production capacity, and speculative technological expansion, in the recently published report.

Segmentation of Electronic Grade Silicon Industry Research

• By Type :

  • CZ Mono-crystalline Silicon
  • Multi-crystalline Silicon

• By Purity :

  • 9N
  • 10N
  • 11N

• By Grade :

  • Prime
  • Test
  • Prime-epi

• By Dopant :

  • p-type
  • n-type

• By Application :

  • Micro-electronic circuit
  • Photovoltaics

• By Region :

  • North America
  • Latin America
  • Europe
  • East Asia
  • South Asia & Oceania
  • MEA