Global chipmaking equipment sales seen shrinking 18% in 2019

Industry group cites investment pullback amid trade war and Huawei sanctions

Weaker demand for servers and smartphones is expected to hinder spending on semiconductor fabrication equipment more than initially projected. (Photo by Wataru Ito)

HIROMI SATO, MASAYA SATO and HIDEAKI RYUGEN, Nikkei staff writers

July 11, 2019 00:56 JST

PALO ALTO, U.S./TOKYO -- Spending this year on chipmaking equipment worldwide will fall greater than previously projected by a global industry group as concern about the world economy, fueled by China-U.S. trade friction, dampens investment in data centers.