World Fab Forecast

World Fab Forecast Report (2025 to 2027) 2Q26 Update
 

The report lists a total of 1,622 facilities/lines, including 146 future facilities/lines with varying probabilities expected to begin volume production in 2026 or later.

Global Outlook: Spending & Growth:
Total Market Growth:
Global equipment spending is projected to reach $152 billion in 2026, representing a 24% annual growth rate, and is expected to increase by another 9% year-over-year to $166 billion in 2027.

Segment Drivers:
The Logic & Micro sector remains the largest category for semiconductor equipment spending at ~$65 billion, followed by the Memory sector, driven largely by strong demand for AI-related technologies.

Regional Investment Focus:
Europe & the Mideast are forecast to achieve the highest regional growth in 2026 (199%YoY).
China is expected to remain the world's largest spending market in 2026.
The Americas are projected to grow by 109% in 2026, signaling strong future investment.

Installed Capacity: Volume & Expansion
Steady Capacity Expansion:
Total installed capacity is expected to grow 5% in both 2026 and 2027, driven by continued fab construction.

Capacity Leadership:
China is projected to maintain the largest installed capacity volume in both 2026 and 2027.

Logic & Micro Capacity Outlook:
The Logic & Micro capacity forecast has been revised upward, reinforcing expectations for increased high-volume production.

Key Forecast Revisions

The global equipment spending forecast for 2026 has been revised upward.

The Logic & Micro and Analog spending forecasts have significantly increased.

The report uses a bottom-up approach, tracking projects per cleanroom facility but uses also a top-down analysis by company, region, and industry segment.

The information of the fab reports is compiled from a variety of industry sources, including news articles, publicly available data, capital spending plans, earnings reports, SEC filings, corporate presentations, announced fab projects, ramp schedules, and technology roadmaps.

We make every effort to contact each company directly to update and verify information whenever possible. In addition, we rely on our established global network and a variety of other trusted industry sources to confirm data. We also incorporate various economic indicators into our forecast modeling, including GDP, industry revenue, macroeconomic conditions, and individual company strategies.

Additionally, we benchmark our data against the Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment and Materials (WWSEMS) report to refine historical data and adjust our forecast model accordingly. The WWSEMS report, published monthly, provides billing figures from a wide range of participating equipment suppliers.

When direct verification is not possible, or information is incomplete or delayed, we apply best-educated estimates within our fab forecast model. This model tracks each fab project in detail—monitoring quarterly construction and equipment spending, production capacities, technologies, wafer sizes, and product types. As new information becomes available, we promptly update the data to maintain accuracy and reliability.