In its latest 300mm Fab Outlook 2027, SEMI noted that global spending on 300mm fab equipment will reach a record $400 billion from 2025 to 2027. This growth was primarily driven by the regionalization of semiconductor fabs and the increased demand for AI chips in data centers and edge devices.
Global 300mm fab equipment spending is expected to grow 4% to $99.3 billion in 2024 and exceed $100 billion for the first time in 2025, an increase of 24%, and is expected to further increase to $136.2 billion in 2026 and slightly to $140.8 billion in 2027.
Ajit Manocha, President and CEO of SEMI, emphasized that the significant increase in equipment spending in 2025 will set a new three-year high for semiconductor manufacturing, and that the general demand for chips is driving investment, covering cutting-edge technologies for AI applications and mature technologies driven by automotive and IoT applications.
In terms of regional growth, China is expected to remain the world's largest market for 300mm equipment spending by 2027, with investment exceeding US$100 billion over the next three years, although spending will gradually fall to US$31 billion from US$45 billion in 2024. Korea is expected to come in second place and invest $81 billion over the next three years to further cement its dominance in memory segments such as DRAM, high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and 3D NAND flash. Taiwan is expected to invest $75 billion in 300mm equipment over the next three years, coming in third place as chipmakers in the region build some new fabs overseas. The frontier logic below 3nm is the main driver of fab investment in Taiwan.
The Americas are expected to invest $63 billion between 2025 and 2027, while Japan, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia are expected to invest $32 billion, $27 billion and $13 billion, respectively, and equipment investment in 2027 will more than double from 2024 due to policy incentives.
Figure: The global semiconductor industry plans to invest in the construction of 300mm wafer fabs
In terms of market segmentation, foundry equipment spending is expected to reach approximately USD 230 billion between 2025 and 2027, driven by investments in cutting-edge nodes below 3nm and continued investments in mature nodes. Investments in 2nm logic processes and the development of key 2nm technologies, such as full-gate (GAA) transistor structures and backside power delivery technologies, are critical to meeting the demands of future high-performance and energy-efficient computing, especially for AI applications. Cost-effective 22nm and 28nm processes are expected to witness growth due to the growing demand for automotive electronics and IoT applications.
The logic and microelectronics sector are expected to lead the expansion of equipment spending over the next three years, with total investment expected to reach $173 billion. Memory is in second place, with an expected contribution of more than $120 billion in spending over the same period, marking the beginning of another segment's growth cycle. In memory, investment in DRAM-related equipment is expected to exceed $75 billion, while investment in 3D NAND is expected to reach $45 billion.
In addition, investment in power-related areas is expected to exceed $30 billion, including approximately $14 billion in compound semiconductor projects, $23 billion in analog and mixed-signal areas, and $12.8 billion in optoelectronics/sensors. SEMI's report also lists 420 facilities and production lines worldwide, of which 79 are expected to begin operations in 2024, reflecting multiple updates and new projects since June 2024.
