300mm fab equipment spending set to reach $227 billion by 2029
Global spending on 300mm front-end fab equipment is projected to rise 31% to USD 149 billion in 2026, according to SEMI. Equipment investment in the Americas is expected to more than double over the same forecast period.
SEMI’s latest 300mm Fab Outlook expects investment to keep growing at double-digit rates every year through 2029. By then, annual spending is projected to reach USD 227 billion.
SEMI also expects a steady flow of new fabs and production lines. Excluding pure R&D facilities, 20 new 300mm fabs or production lines are projected to begin construction worldwide in 2026, followed by 18 in 2027. Three of this year’s projects are in the United States, and four of next year’s.
“Semiconductor demand is increasingly translating into physical manufacturing expansion across the global industry,” said Ajit Manocha, SEMI President and CEO. “The latest outlook points to both stronger equipment investment and a substantial pipeline of fabs moving toward operation. This expansion will provide the manufacturing foundation needed to support AI, high-performance computing and a broad range of next-generation semiconductor applications.”
Construction spending across all 300mm facilities is projected to rise 23% to USD 47.5 billion in 2026. SEMI expects it to grow another 33% to USD 63.3 billion in 2027 and reach USD 68.4 billion in 2028. The investment covers leading-edge logic, memory and other 300mm technologies.
In the Americas, equipment investment is projected to grow from USD 18.1 billion in 2026 to USD 40.6 billion in 2029. Meanwhile, the number of new 300mm fabs or lines starting operations or shipping first silicon is expected to rise from 13 in 2026 to 23 in 2027.
