News on semiconductor

News on suppliers, market trends and technology innovations in polysilicon and wafer production is selected, assessed and written for you by Bernreuter Research.

Polysilicon plant of Wacker Chemie in Charleston, Tennessee, USA

Speculation on closure of Wacker’s polysilicon plant in the US

(comments: 0)

The German chemicals group denies plans to close its facility in Charleston, Tennessee. The company is in talks with the US administration on the Section 232 framework to support US-made polysilicon.

Polysilicon EBITDA margins of Wacker, OCI TerraSus and Daqo New Energy from Q2 2025 through Q2 2026

Weak demand still weighed on polysilicon makers’ results in Q2

(comments: 0)

Daqo New Energy and Wacker struggled with the market conditions in and outside China. By contrast, Malaysian competitor OCI TerraSus announced a doubling of its production capacity by 2029.

Polysilicon EBITDA margins of Wacker, OCI TerraSus and Daqo New Energy from Q1 2025 through Q1 2026

Daqo’s sales crash as the polysilicon price falls below costs

(comments: 0)

The collapsing sales of Daqo New Energy in the first quarter shine a spotlight on the oversupply dilemma of the Chinese polysilicon industry. Non-Chinese competitors OCI and Wacker are better off.

Polysilicon EBITDA margins of Wacker, OCI TerraSus and Daqo New Energy from Q4 2024 through Q4 2025

US trade case to make or break Wacker’s solar polysilicon unit

(comments: 0)

The German manufacturer’s solar-grade polysilicon business hinges upon the outcome of the U.S. Section 232 investigation. Competitor OCI is more confident after a positive EBITDA in the fourth quarter.

Polysilicon EBITDA margins of Wacker, Daqo and OCI from Q3 2024 through Q3 2025

Polysilicon maker Daqo back in black, Wacker and OCI in limbo

(comments: 0)

While non-Chinese polysilicon manufacturers still felt the impact from uncertainty about the U.S. solar market in the third quarter, Daqo New Energy benefitted from the price surge in China.

Marketing claim of a purity of “up to 12 nines” by Hemlock Semiconductor for its electronic-grade polysilicon, at the CRU Silicon Market Forum 2025 in Lyon on September 25, 2025

A silicon purity of 12N only exists in the world of marketers

(comments: 0)

Although claimed again and again, a purity of 99.9999999999% (twelve nines or briefly 12N) is not achieved in the production of electronic-grade polysilicon for semiconductors.

Monthly polysilicon price average from October 2011 through December 2023

Why the pork cycle has returned to the polysilicon market

(comments: 0)

A period of weak demand until 2020 laid the ground for a polysilicon shortage that has triggered excessive capacity expansion in China. Now overcapacity provokes the next shakeout.

Polysilicon EBITDA margins of Daqo, Wacker, OCI and REC Silicon from Q1 2021 through Q1 2022

Mixed trends in polysilicon manufacturers’ first-quarter results

(comments: 0)

While Chinese polysilicon manufacturer Daqo was able to stabilize its profit margin in the first quarter, non-Chinese competitors Wacker and OCI saw their earnings decline in the wake of rising costs.

Arabinda Ghosh (left), designated Chairman and CEO of Hemlock Semiconductor, and Ken Collins, site leader of Wacker Chemical Corporation’s polysilicon and pyrogenic silica plants in Charleston, Tennessee

New leadership at U.S. polysilicon makers Wacker and Hemlock

(comments: 0)

Ken Collins is new site leader of Wacker’s polysilicon plant in Charleston, Tennessee while Arabinda Ghosh will follow Mark Bassett as CEO of competitor Hemlock Semiconductor at year’s end.

REC Silicon’s silane/polysilicon plant in Butte, Montana

Equity raise: Sale of REC Silicon’s plant in Butte is off the table

(comments: 0)

After an equity raise, U.S.-based polysilicon manufacturer REC Silicon has abandoned its plan to sell its cash cow, the silane and electronic-grade polysilicon plant in Butte, Montana.

Tags