With chipmakers engaged in the development of 3D NAND and FinFET technologies, the global semiconductor market is set to expand another 25-35%, said an Applied Materials executive on September 5.

　　Erix Yu, president of Applied Materials Taiwan, indicated 3D NAND will replace conventional planar NAND as the next-generation process technology. The technology shift will stimulate demand for etching and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment although demand for lithography tools coming from the sector will fall, Yu said.

　　In addition, with chipmakers engaged in the development of 16/14nm FinFET technology, demand coming from the segment will play another growth driver for the global semiconductor equipment market in 2014, Yu noted.

　　The industry's shift to new manufacturing technologies is expected to help the global chip-making equipment business expand by 25-35% over the next three years, according to Yu.

　　Yu also commented that robust demand for mobile devices will act as the growth engine of the global semiconductor industry. Mobile device shipments have risen significantly in recent years.

　　In 2006, mobile device shipments accounted for only one-third of overall PC and notebook shipments. In 2012, however, mobile device shipments were about 230% higher than the total PCs and notebooks shipped, Yu said.

　　Yu forecast that shipments of mobile devices will total two billion units in 2016, 600% greater than those of PCs and notebooks.

　　Mobile chips are fundamentally designed for high performance and low power, said Yu, adding that process technologies will have to be upgraded constantly to enhance both features.

　　Yu also expects pure-play foundries to play a key factor driving the global semiconductor equipment market. Foundries' capex in 2006-2008 accounted for about 11% of the global equipment spending annually, but the proportion climbed to 36% in 2012, Yu said. By 2016, foundries' capex are set to contribute 42% to the global spending on semiconductor equipment, Yu noted.