According to the latest World Fab Forecast Report released by the International Semiconductor Industry Association (SEMI), the global IC (integrated circuit) fab capacity is expected to grow by 6% in 2024 and continue to grow to 7% in 2025, indicating that the semiconductor manufacturing industry is actively responding to the rapid growth of market demand.
In recent years, with the wide application of technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things, the demand for high-performance chips has been growing. In order to meet this market demand, the world's major semiconductor fabs have increased investment and expanded production capacity. According to SEMI's forecast, this growth trend is mainly due to the dual expansion of advanced and mature processes.
In the field of advanced processes, with the continuous advancement of technology, chip manufacturers are gradually moving towards more advanced processes. For example, leading companies such as Intel, Samsung, and TSMC have already started to produce more advanced 2nm GAA (Gate All Around) chips. The mass production of this technology will significantly improve the performance and efficiency of chips to meet the urgent needs of high-performance computing, data centers, and mobile communications.
Figure: Global IC fab capacity to grow by 6% in 2024 and 7% in 2025
In the mature process segment, Chinese mainland manufacturers have become the main drivers of market growth. Manufacturers such as Huahong Group, Jinghe Integration, Xinen, SMIC and Changxin Storage are investing heavily in building factories and expanding production capacity. The expansion of these manufacturers in mature process areas will further increase the overall scale of global fab capacity and meet the strong demand in the low-end market.
In addition, the surge in demand for AI chips is also one of the important factors driving the capacity growth of global IC fabs. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, the demand for high-performance chips is growing. To meet this market demand, chipmakers are investing more in advanced processes and increasing production capacity. At the same time, with the wide application of AI technology, the demand for chips will be further expanded, bringing greater development opportunities to the semiconductor manufacturing industry.
SEMI's forecast report also points out that global IC fab capacity growth will continue to be strong in the coming years. It is expected that by 2025, the global IC fab capacity will reach a record high of 33.7 million wafer production capacity per month (calculated in 8-inch equivalent). Among them, the logic semiconductor foundry capacity will increase by 11%, while the DRAM (dynamic random access memory) and NAND Flash flash memory market will also increase the production capacity.
The growth of global IC fab capacity not only reflects the vigorous development of the semiconductor industry, but also an important symbol of the digital transformation of the global economy. Chinese mainland's leadership in this process, as well as the significant growth of 12-inch wafer production capacity, all indicate that the semiconductor industry will usher in broader development prospects.
