Core Viewpoint - Citigroup's recent report highlights that semiconductor equipment manufacturers, particularly ASML, Lam Research, and Applied Materials, are poised to benefit significantly from the rapid expansion of AI chip and storage chip capacities amid a global AI infrastructure build-out and a "supercycle" in storage chips [2] Group 1: Semiconductor Equipment Market Outlook - The global semiconductor equipment sector is expected to enter a "Phase 2 bull market," with a new bullish trajectory anticipated following a super bull market in 2024-2025 [2] - Citigroup forecasts the global wafer fab equipment (WFE) market to reach approximately $115 billion in 2026, representing a year-on-year growth of 10%, significantly above the average growth rate of the past decade [7] - The three major chip manufacturers—TSMC, Samsung, and Intel—are projected to account for about 59% of the WFE market, with TSMC's capital expenditure (capex) guidance for 2026 expected to be between $46 billion and $48 billion [7] Group 2: Capital Expenditure Trends - Micron Technology has raised its capital expenditure for the fiscal year 2026 from $18 billion to $20 billion, indicating a substantial year-on-year increase of 45%, which may prompt competitors like Samsung and SK Hynix to follow suit [4] - The anticipated strong demand for AI chips and storage solutions is expected to lead to significant increases in capital expenditures from major manufacturers, with TSMC, Samsung, and Intel likely to revise their capex guidance upwards in upcoming earnings reports [2][4] Group 3: AI Infrastructure and Demand - The launch of Google's Gemini3 AI application has led to a surge in AI computing demand, further validating the notion that the AI infrastructure build-out is still in its early stages of supply-demand imbalance [5] - The ongoing construction of large-scale AI data centers by tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta is driving the expansion of advanced process AI chips and storage capacities, reinforcing the long-term bullish outlook for the semiconductor equipment sector [5] Group 4: Semiconductor Market Growth Projections - The global semiconductor market is projected to grow by 22.5% in 2025, reaching a total value of $772.2 billion, with further expansion expected in 2026 to approximately $975.5 billion, marking a year-on-year increase of 26% [9] - The growth is primarily driven by strong demand in the AI GPU-dominated logic chip sector and the HBM storage systems, with both areas expected to achieve robust double-digit growth [12] Group 5: Equipment Demand Surge - The "Phase 2 upcycle" indicates a shift in valuation from "valuation bottom recovery" to "sustained profit upgrades," suggesting that leading semiconductor equipment companies may experience greater profit elasticity than revenue elasticity [13] - The demand for advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, particularly in lithography, etching, deposition, and advanced packaging, is expected to surge due to the AI infrastructure and storage supercycle [13][14]