SEMI, the semiconductor equipment trade body, expects sales to be flat next year at $30bn, with a turn up in sales until Q2 2009, but not a big enough turn up to grow the 2009 market. This year, the 26% decline in capex spending in Q2 was the steepest quarterly decline in SEMI’s history.

In 2007 33 new fabs came online with a value of more than $45bn. In 2008, only 20 new fabs will come on-line.

Compared to last year, the value of this year's new fabs will be down by 65%, to $15bn and 2009’s new fabs will cost $30bn.

Memory accounts for more than half of all equipment and capital spending at $35bn last year. This year they will spend $25bn out of a total industry spend of $48bn.

Meanwhile the device manufacturing industry is losing its shirt. Micron lost $1.6bn in the latest fiscal year, and Intel calls on the equipment industry to invest $20bn in 450mm wafer processing. It’s a wonderful industry.