SEMI, Global Semiconductor Equipment Sales on Track to Hit Record $229 Billion by 2028

Global sales of total semiconductor manufacturing equipment by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are forecast to reach a record $165.9 billion in 2026, a 23.2% year-over-year increase, according to SEMI's latest Mid-Year Total Semiconductor Equipment Forecast – OEM Perspective. That growth is expected to continue through 2028, with total equipment sales projected to hit a record $229.5 billion, marking five consecutive years of growth as AI-driven demand reshapes investment across semiconductor manufacturing.

The stronger outlook reflects accelerating investment in AI infrastructure, leading-edge logic, advanced memory, and back-end technologies needed to support higher compute density, growing high-bandwidth memory (HBM)-related investment, and increasingly complex device architectures.

Ajit Manocha, SEMI's President and CEO, said AI is driving demand for more powerful and efficient chips, which in turn is fueling greater investment across the semiconductor capital equipment market. He said the mid-year forecast reflects a higher equipment spending trajectory as chipmakers invest in the leading-edge logic, advanced memory, test, and packaging capabilities requ...