Global sales of semiconductor fab equipment grew by 5 percent during 2022 to hit an all-time high, with China the largest buyer despite a fall in its investment amid the standoff with the US over access to chips and other technology. 8 billion, according to SEMI, while investments in Europe rose by an impressive 93 percent and the North America market saw a 38 percent increase. Bloomberg, the US appears to be buying more of its chipmaking machinery from Taiwan, whose exports of semiconductor manufacturing kit to America rose by 42