HemNyheterSEMI: Investment in 12-inch wafer fabs surges, and China's global production capacity will increase rapidly

SEMI: Investment in 12-inch wafer fabs surges, and China's global production capacity will increase rapidly

SEMI stated in its latest 300mm (12-inch) wafer fab forecast report that by 2020, 12-inch wafer fab investment will increase by 13% year-on-year, exceeding the historical record set in 2018 and setting another record in 2023. brilliant.

The outbreak of the new coronavirus has accelerated the global digital transformation, which in turn triggered a surge in fab spending in 2020, which is expected to continue until 2021.

SEMI pointed out that the driving force behind this growth is the rising demand for cloud services, servers, laptops, games and healthcare technology. Rapidly developing technologies such as 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), automobiles, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning continue to drive the demand for data connections. Large data centers and big data are also the reasons behind the growth in demand.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating a digital transformation that has swept almost all imaginable industries and reshaped our work and lifestyle,” said Ajit Manocha, SEMI President and CEO. "Projected record-breaking expenditures and 38 new fabs have strengthened the role of semiconductors as the cornerstone of cutting-edge technologies, which are driving this transformation and are expected to help solve some global challenges."

Semiconductor fab investment will continue to grow in 2021, but the annual growth rate will slow to 4%. The report also reflects the previous industry cycle. It is expected that there will be a moderate slowdown in 2022, a small decline again in 2024, and a record US$70 billion in 2023.


Looking ahead, SEMI said that from 2020 to 2024, the chip industry will add at least 38 12-inch fabs. This is a conservative forecast and does not include low-probability or rumored fab projects. At the same time, the monthly production capacity of wafers will increase by about 1.8 million, reaching more than 7 million.

According to forecasts, 11 wafer fabs will be added in Taiwan, China, and 8 in mainland China, accounting for half of the total. By 2024, the chip industry will have 161 12-inch fabs.

China will rapidly increase its global share of 12-inch wafer capacity from 8% in 2015 to 20% in 2024. Although non-Chinese companies will account for a large part of this growth, Chinese companies are accelerating capacity investment. By 2020, these companies will account for about 43% of the production capacity of Chinese factories, and are expected to reach 50% by 2022 and 60% by 2024.


Japan’s share of 300mm installed capacity continues to decline, from 19% in 2015 to 12% in 2024. America’s share is also declining, from 13% in 2015 to 10% in 2024.

The largest regional investment will be South Korea, with investment between 15-19 billion U.S. dollars, followed by Taiwan, China, which will invest 14-17 billion U.S. dollars in 12-inch fabs, and then China, with investment between 11-13 billion U.S. dollars Between dollars.

From 2020 to 2024, investment growth in regions with less spending will be the fastest. Europe/Middle East will lead with a staggering 164% growth rate, followed by Southeast Asia (59%), America (35%) and Japan (20%).

The report points out that memory accounts for most of the increased cost of 12-inch wafers. From 2020 to 2023, actual and projected investment will grow steadily at a high single-digit annual rate, and there will be a stronger 10% growth in 2024.

From 2020 to 2024, the contribution of DRAM and 3D NAND to 12-inch fab spending will be uneven. However, the investment in logic/microprocessors will increase steadily from 2021 to 2023. Power-related equipment will be a prominent area for investment in 12-inch wafer fabs. There will be more than 200% growth in 2021, and double-digit growth in 2022 and 2023.