Semico 2023 Fab Database now Available

The semiconductor industry is in the midst of a great deal of upheaval in 1Q 2023, brought on by COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions. With the semiconductor shortages brought on by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, announcements in new fab projects and expansions reached a fever pitch in 2022. Moving toward self-sufficiency is a new goal for countries in the wake of the increased level of geopolitical tension around the world. Several countries are pledging money to make their countries more self-sufficient in semiconductor supplies, a critical technology for defense operations. 
 
"The CHIPS act in the United States is one of the highest-profile examples of the push to reach self-sufficiency in semiconductor production. Billions of dollars have been pledged around the world from the US to Korea to Japan to India," says Adrienne Downey, Principal Analyst, Semico Research. "Of course, a fab isn’t built in a day, and this money will be spent over the course of many years."
 
Semico's Fab Database: Update 2023 report highlights the announcements made as a result of these initiatives, as well as changing conditions for fabs already under construction, currently operating, or in the process of closing. Semico's database includes almost 1,150 fabs owned by foundries, memory manufacturers, IDMs, and research facilities. Detailed information about each fab is included, such as operating status, location, process, products, wafer size, capacity, and more.
 
Some key changes in the fab marketplace discussed by this report include:

• There are sixty-nine fab projects currently under construction, ramping, or planned, excluding foundry projects.
• Out of the total fabs in operation, 56% of them are in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Under construction by JASM (Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing), Fab 23 P1 will begin production in May 2024 on 300mm wafers at 12/16nm FinFET and 22/28nm processes.
• This fall, Infineon plans to begin construction on a new fab in Dresden that will focus on SiC and GaN products.

This study includes a Word document as well as an Excel spreadsheet, "Semico Fab Database.xls", which encompasses the most current version of our fab database. This report provides a snapshot of a "living" document, as fab statuses and plans are announced all the time. Semico tracks these changes on an ongoing basis and issues an updated report biannually.