In 2016 and 2017, 19 new wafer fabs were built globally, and China accounted for half of them.

China's development of semiconductors has also become a major player in new wafer fabs. Recently, the International Semiconductor Institute (SEMI) announced that there were at least 19 new wafer fabs in 2016 and 2017, and up to 10 of them were built in China, which is consistent with China's aggressive entry into the semiconductor industry.

SEMI recently updated its global fab forecast report. In 2015, fab equipment expenditures including new fabs, second-hand fabs and dedicated test plants (in-house) decreased by 2%, but this year in 3D NAND With the development of Flash and 10nm logic processes, it is estimated that the overall fab expenditure will reach US$36 billion in 2016, an annual growth of approximately 1.5%, and is expected to further reach US$40.7 billion in 2017, an increase of approximately 13%.

SEMI report points out that between 2016 and 2017, 19 new wafer fabs have been confirmed, among which 12 are 12-inch (300mm) wafer fabs, four are 8-inch (200mm) wafer fabs, and there are three LED fabs below 6-inch (150mm).In terms of 12-inch wafers, the installed capacity can reach an average of 210,000 wafers per month. The wafer factory built in 2017 has an installed capacity of 330,000 wafers per month based on approximately 12-inch wafers.

The report also observed that when semiconductors transition to include cutting-edge technologies such as 3D technology, the production capacity of existing fabs is also decreasing. SEMI predicts that more old fabs will be renovated, and what is more, new fabs and new production lines will also be added.

As ​​for Taiwan, China, according to SEMI Taiwan's previous forecast, the overall investment in Taiwan's front-end wafer fabs is expected to reach US$12 billion in 2015 and 2016. In addition to the investment in wafer foundry technology and production capacity, Taiwan's DRAM wafer fab expenditure also began to recover in 2014 and is expected to maintain growth until 2016.

（Source：SEMI Taiwan）