Fab equipment boom returns, with double-digit growth expected through 2022.
Published2021.03.22 10:502020-22, 2016-18 fab equipment investment amount
Super boom outlook... driven by foundries and memory
With fab equipment investments continuing to increase, the three-year boom from 2016 to 2018 is expected to be repeated.
The Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) announced on the 19th in its latest 'World Fab Forecast' report that as demand for electronic products surges due to the spread of non-face-to-face trends caused by COVID-19, investment in fab equipment will also continue to increase.
According to the report, global semiconductor industry fab equipment investment grew 16% in 2020, is projected to increase 15.5% in 2021, and 12% in 2022.
Fab equipment investment experienced a three-year boom from 2016 to 2018. This marked the first time since the mid-1990s that fab equipment investment had grown for at least three years. The report predicted that the boom would return for approximately three years, from 2020 to 2022.
This boom is expected to be led by the foundry and memory semiconductor industries. Investment in the foundry sector is expected to reach $32 billion in 2021, a 23% increase year-over-year, and investment in 2022 is expected to be at a similar level to 2021, with no significant growth.
Investment in memory semiconductor equipment is expected to reach $28 billion in 2021, with single-digit growth expected. Investment in DRAM is expected to outpace NAND flash. Investment in 2022 is expected to surge by 26%, driven by investments in DRAM and 3D NAND.
Investment in power semiconductor and microprocessor unit (MPU) equipment is also expected to increase significantly. Power semiconductor investment is expected to grow rapidly, by 46% and 26% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. MPU investment is expected to show a notable 40% growth in 2022.
The SEMI World Fab Forecast surveyed 1,374 semiconductor manufacturing facilities, including 100 new fabs and production lines scheduled to come online this year and beyond.
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