South Korean media outlet: The longest delivery lead time for global semiconductor equipment has doubled, with Samsung and SK Hynix planning to place orders early.

According to South Korea’s Electronic News, delivery lead times for major semiconductor manufacturing equipment have recently stretched to twice their original duration. Applied Materials, ASML, Lam Research, Tokyo Electron, and KLA collectively account for roughly 70% of the global semiconductor equipment market, and lead times for their core equipment have generally lengthened to 1.5–2 times the original. Some equipment that normally takes six months to deliver now requires a wait of around one year. Similar delays have hit South Korea’s domestic equipment manufacturers too. One South Korean firm supplying front-end and back-end equipment to TSMC and Micron has extended lead times for some products from three to four months to six to eight months; another back-end equipment supplier to Micron has seen lead times rise to 1.5 times the original, with some units waiting over a year. Equipment delivery delays could impact fabs’ planned launch timelines. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have started closely monitoring equipment delivery progress and are considering placing purchase orders earlier than scheduled to reduce the risk of equipment not arriving on time. This current stretch in lead times is distinct from the supply chain disruptions of 2021–2022; it is primarily driven by surging chip demand fueled by AI infrastructure investment, as countries and companies expand fabs simultaneously, triggering a sharp spike in equipment orders. As global fab investment continues, supply shortages related to equipment and fab construction are likely to persist.