Global spending on 300mm front-end fab equipment will hit $149 billion in 2026, a 31 percent increase over the prior year. That is the projection in SEMI’s newest 300mm Fab Outlook, which also sees the total rising to $227 billion by 2029. AI, high-performance computing and memory are driving capacity builds, and on SEMI’s view investment keeps growing at double-digit rates through the end of the decade.
A substantial pipeline of projects backstops the forecast. Factoring out research-only fabs, the industry association expects 20 new 300mm fabs or production lines to break ground around the world in 2026. Another 18 follow in 2027. Within the United States, three starts land this year and four the next.
Construction spending across 300mm facilities overall is projected to step up 23 percent to $47.5 billion in 2026, climb a further 33 percent to $63.3 billion in 2027, and settle at $68.4 billion in 2028. The Americas offer perhaps the sharpest growth story on equipment demand, where outlays should better than double — from $18.1 billion in 2026 to $40.6 billion in 2029.
First silicon shipments or operations startups are due at 13 new 300mm fabs and lines globally in 2026, a count that expands to 23 in 2027. Demand is translating ever more directly into physical manufacturing expansion, according to SEMI president and chief executive Ajit Manocha. Since the previous release, the report’s third-quarter version logs 166 changes touching 163 fabs and lines.
