7 Insights from SEMICON West 2025

This year’s SEMICON West was a record-breaker, and not just because it was the first time in 54 years the show packed up and left the Bay Area. Phoenix brought the heat, and the energy on the show floor was palpable. With a 45% increase in booths and double the attendee registrations compared to 2024, it was the biggest SEMICON West in nearly two decades.

Here are 7 key trends and takeaways from the show:

1. Modularity Is the New Must-Have

From Yole Group’s analysis of innovation-drivers for WFE (wafer fab equipment) to the messaging at booths across the show floor, one theme kept popping up: modular equipment architectures.

The "Holy Grail," as Yole Group put it, for WFE manufacturers is equipment architecture that can be reconfigured for different process needs. Think specialization and flexibility. This aligns perfectly with our strengths at HARTING, where modular connectors like Han-Modular® and har-modular® are designed to make expansion easy and hardwiring obsolete.

2. AI & Semiconductors: A Symbiotic Relationship

AI needs chips. Chips need AI.

Case in point: AI models are now being used to design and simulate semiconductor manufacturing equipment and processes, creating “virtual silicon” and “virtual fabs” that help engineers optimize performance before a single wafer is etched. And the chips being manufactured — with the help of these AI models — are being used in those same AI applications.

It’s a fascinating, positive-feedback loop.

3. "Lights-out" Maintenance Is No Longer Science-Fiction

Cobots from Lam Research and Brooks are stepping in to handle routine tasks, but for them to work, parts need to be error-proof. Enter poka-yoke designs and coded connectors.

Here again, HARTING products are well-positioned to support this development. Our modular and hybrid connectors reduce the number of connection points a cobot might have to deal with, making autonomous maintenance not just possible, but practical.

4. Sustainability Isn't Just About Power and Water

Sustainability is a key focus for the semiconductor industry — especially in the subfab, where systems such as pumps and vacuums consume huge amounts of energy. But sustainability starts with equipment design, where Scope 1 emissions can be reduced by designing equipment that requires less material (aluminum, stainless steel, polymer, etc.) for construction.

5. Data Is the New Fab Currency

Sensors, monitors, and analytics tools are everywhere — collecting data and driving decisions. Predictive maintenance, root cause analysis, and process optimization are all powered by real-time insights. The more data, the smarter, more efficient, more profitable the fab.

6. The WFE Market Is Booming (Even with Overcapacity)

Yole Group projects the WFE market will hit $184B by 2030. That’s despite overcapacity at fabs and IDMs.

Why? Because governments and companies are doubling down on technological sovereignty and supply-chain resilience. This redundancy has become a driver for the wafer fab equipment market.

7. Back End Is Breaking Out

The back end of semiconductor manufacturing is no longer the mature, cost-sensitive cousin of the front end. It’s embracing advanced technologies such as 2.5D and 3D packaging, to grow at a projected 7.1% CAGR 2025-2030, outpacing the front end's ~4.6% CAGR for the same period.

From $6.9B to $9.8B in 2030, the back end is having a moment.

Final Thoughts:

As complex and amazing as semiconductor manufacturing is, the fundamentals still matter. Flexibility, modularity, serviceability, and sustainability are all important aspects of wafer manufacturing equipment. And HARTING is well-positioned to address these needs.