2026 All-Time High in Store for Global 300mm Semiconductor Fab Capacity After 2023 Slowdown
March 27, 2023 | SEMIEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Semiconductor manufacturers worldwide are forecast to increase 300mm fab capacity to an all-time high of 9.6 million wafers per month (wpm) in 2026, SEMI announced in its 300mm Fab Outlook to 2026 report. After strong growth in 2021 and 2022, the 300mm capacity expansion is expected to slow this year due to soft demand for memory and logic devices.
“While the pace of the global 300mm fab capacity expansion is moderating, the industry remains squarely focused on growing capacity to meet robust secular demand for semiconductors,” said Ajit Manocha, SEMI President and CEO. “The foundry*, memory and power sectors will be major drivers of the new record capacity increase expected in 2026.”
Chipmakers expected to increase 300mm fab capacity during the 2022 to 2026 forecast period to meet growth in demand include GlobalFoundries, Hua Hong Semiconductor, Infineon, Intel, Kioxia, Micron, Samsung, SK Hynix, SMIC, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, TSMC and UMC. The companies are planning 82 new facilities and lines to start operations from 2023 to 2026.
Regional Outlooks
Due to U.S. export controls, China will continue to focus government investments on mature technology to lead in 300mm front-end fab capacity, increasing its global share from 22% in 2022 to 25% in 2026, reaching 2.4 million wafers per month, the SEMI 300mm Fab Outlook to 2026 shows.
Korea’s worldwide 300mm fab capacity share is expected to slip from 25% to 23% from 2022 to 2026 on weak demand in the memory market. Taiwan is on track to retain third place despite a slight dip in share from 22% to 21% during the same period, while Japan’s share of worldwide 300mm fab capacity is also expected to edge down, from 13% last year to 12% in 2026, as competition with other regions increases.
Powered by strong demand in the automotive segment and government investment, the Americas and Europe & Mideast are expected to see 300mm fab capacity share growth from 2022 to 2026. The Americas’ global share is forecast to rise 0.2% to nearly 9% by 2026, while Europe & Mideast is projected to increase its capacity share from 6% to 7% and Southeast Asia is expected to maintain its 4% share of 300mm front-end fab capacity during the same period.
Projected Capacity Growth Rates by Sector
The SEMI 300mm Fab Outlook to 2026 shows analog and power leading other sectors in capacity growth at a 30% CAGR from 2022 to 2026, followed by foundry at 12%, opto at 6% and memory at 4%.
Suggested Items
HBM Prices to Increase by 5–10% in 2025, Accounting for Over 30% of Total DRAM Value
05/06/2024 | TrendForceAvril Wu, TrendForce Senior Research Vice President, reports that the HBM market is poised for robust growth, driven by significant pricing premiums and increased capacity needs for AI chips.
Tablet Shipments Show Signs of Recovery in Q1 2024
05/06/2024 | IDCAfter more than two years of decline, worldwide tablet shipments posted modest year-over-year growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24), totaling 30.8 million units, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.
Industrial PC Market Size to Record $1.75 Billion Growth from 2023-2027
05/03/2024 | PRNewswireThe global industrial pc market size is estimated to grow by USD 1.75 billion from 2023 to 2027, according to Technavio. This growth is expected to occur at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of almost 6.29% during the forecast period.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Insight into Summit Interconnect's Success
04/30/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOShane Whiteside, CEO of Summit Interconnect, discusses the company's recent recognition as one of the best PCB fabricators in the industry by receiving IPC's Peter Sarmanian award. Whiteside touches on the impact of changes in the marketplace, such as the Defense Production Act and presidential determination, on their growth. Whiteside also shares the company's focus on mechanical and data automation to enhance manufacturing processes and anticipates more automation and evolution in the industry.
North American PCB Industry Sales Down 23.8% in March
04/29/2024 | IPCIPC announced the March 2024 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.13.