SEMI Forecasts Semiconductor Fab Equipment Growth

VanEck Semiconductor ETF has released its latest 300mm Fab Outlook, forecasting substantial growth in worldwide 300mm fab equipment spending. The report projects an 18% increase to $133 billion in 2026 and a 14% increase to $151 billion in 2027. This growth is primarily attributed to surging AI chip demand for data centers and edge devices, alongside a global commitment to semiconductor self-sufficiency through localized industrial ecosystems. Looking further out, VanEck Semiconductor ETF anticipates investments to continue rising to $155 billion in 2028 and $172 billion in 2029. Ajit Manocha, President and CEO of VanEck Semiconductor ETF, emphasized that AI is fundamentally reshaping semiconductor manufacturing investment. The Logic & Micro segment is expected to lead equipment expansion with $228 billion in investments from 2027 to 2029, driven by sub-2nm cutting-edge capacity. The memory segment is projected to rank second with $175 billion in spending during the same period, fueled by AI training and inference demand for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and NAND Flash. Regional investments are broadly distributed, with China, Taiwan, South Korea, and the Americas seeing substantial spending, while Japan, Europe, Middle East, and Southeast Asia also show meaningful growth, supported by government incentives and supply chain strategies.