San Francisco – October 13, 2026 -- Global 300mm front-end fab equipment spending will reach $149 billion in 2026, up 31% year-over-year, and climb to $227 billion by 2029, according to the latest SEMI 300mm Fab Outlook. SEMI projects investment will keep growing at double-digit rates through the forecast period.
SEMI projects 20 new 300mm fabs or lines will start construction worldwide in 2026
Excluding pure R&D fabs, SEMI expects 18 more construction starts in 2027. In the United States, three fabs or lines are projected to begin construction in 2026 and four in 2027.
SEMI also projects 13 new 300mm fabs or lines worldwide will begin operations or ship first silicon in 2026, rising to 23 in 2027.
Global fab construction spending rises 23% to $47.5 billion in 2026
Construction outlays across all 300mm facilities are forecast to grow another 33% to $63.3 billion in 2027 and reach $68.4 billion in 2028. SEMI attributes the activity to investment in new capacity across leading-edge logic, memory and other 300mm semiconductor technologies.
Americas equipment investment to more than double to $40.6 billion by 2029
Equipment spending in the Americas is projected to rise from $18.1 billion in 2026 to $40.6 billion in 2029, reflecting the region's expanding manufacturing footprint.
SEMI President and CEO Ajit Manocha said the outlook shows semiconductor demand translating into physical manufacturing expansion, providing the foundation for AI, high-performance computing and next-generation applications.
The 3Q26 edition of the outlook reflects 166 changes across 163 fabs and lines since the previous report, including 14 newly added records.