SEMI Forecasts Record 300mm Memory Equipment Spending, Driven by AI and HBM Demand

Global spending on 300mm fab equipment for memory manufacturing is on track to cross the $50 billion mark for the first time in 2026, according to SEMI's latest 300mm Fab Outlook. The figure is expected to climb 29% to reach $52 billion this year, with a further 11% increase pushing it to $57 billion in 2027. This surge is being driven largely by AI-related demand for advanced memory, as investment continues to pour into AI infrastructure, data centers, and next-generation computing platforms.

Looking at the longer horizon, SEMI expects 300mm memory equipment spending worldwide to grow at a 19% compound annual growth rate between 2024 and 2029. Memory production capacity is also set to expand, with 300mm wafer capacity projected to hit 4.1 million wafers per month in 2026 and rise slightly further to 4.2 million wafers per month in 2027.

Ajit Manocha, SEMI's President and CEO, noted that robust demand for high-bandwidth memory and other advanced memory types is shifting investment priorities across the semiconductor supply chain. As AI infrastructure continues to scale up, he said, memory manufacturers are putting more capital into both expanding capacity and migrating to ...