South Korean chipmakers’ factory shipments suffered their first decline in nearly three years in July, highlighting weak demand for semiconductors as a barometer of the global economy. Prior to that, the epidemic and other factors once led to a tight global supply of chips, creating a period of industrial prosperity.
According to a statement released Wednesday by South Korea’s National Statistical Office, the country’s semiconductor shipments fell 22.7 percent in July this year from a year earlier, compared with a 5.1 percent increase in June. in July, South Korea’s national semiconductor inventory remained high, up 80 percent from a year earlier and unchanged from the previous month. In today’s global chip supply chain, TSMC, Samsung Electronics and other Asian manufacturers play an important role.
Data show that South Korea’s chip production slowed for the fourth consecutive month in July, indicating that Samsung, SK Hynix and other major producers are adjusting production to reflect cooling demand and rising inventories. Semiconductors have become a key component in a world economy increasingly dependent on electronics and online services. During the epidemic, many people turned to telecommute and distance learning to minimize the risk of infection, leading to a surge in demand for chips.
