China Dominates Planned Chip Fabs

Dylan McGrath, EETimes
12/15/2016 12:40 PM EST

SAN FRANCISCO—More than 40% of front end semiconductor fabs scheduled to begin operation between 2017 and 2020 are in China, a clear indication that China’s long-stated ambition to build a significant domestic semiconductor industry is taking shape.

According to SEMI, a trade group that represents semiconductor equipment and materials suppliers, of 62 front end fabs that will open worldwide over the next three years, 26 are in China, representing 42% of the global total.

Of the 62 fabs currently on the drawing board or in construction, most are volume manufacturing fabs, with seven slated to be R&D or pilot fabs, according to Christian Dieseldorff, director of semiconductor industry research at SEMI (San Jose, Calif.).

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