The latest World Fab Forecast report from SEMI suggests that fab equipment spending will rebound in 2021 after a down year in 2020, growing at a 24 percent CAGR to $67.7 billion.

Solid growth rates are projected across all product segments, with memory fabs leading global equipment spending at an estimated $30 billion. A 17 percent increase in 3D NAND memory investment and 50 percent bump in DRAM fab spending contribute to significant gains in this sector.

$29 billion in spending is forecast for the leading-edge logic and foundry sector, a 16 percent improvement after an 11 percent reduction in 2020. Notable 2021 subsegments include power electronics (67 percent), image sensors (projected 36 percent growth), and analog and mixed-signal (13 percent).

These gains come on the heels of a 15 percent decline in Q1 2020 spending attributed to the fallout from COVID-19. Overall spending for 2020 is projected to decline 4 percent.

The SEMI World Fab Forecast report also shows the worldwide fab equipment spending trough in 2020 shifting from the first to the second quarter (see figure below).

To request a sample of the report, visit www.semi.org/en/news-resources/market-data/world-fab-forecast.

For more information visit www.semi.org.