According to the latest "300mm Wafer Fab Outlook Report" released by SEMI, global equipment investment in the storage sector of 300mm wafer fabs is expected to exceed $50 billion for the first time in 2026, growing by 29% to $52 billion, and then increasing by another 11% to $57 billion in 2027. This growth, supported by increased investments in AI infrastructure, data centers, and next-generation computing systems, reflects the ongoing demand for advanced storage driven by AI.

Looking ahead, SEMI forecasts that global equipment investment in the storage sector of 300mm wafer fabs will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19% from 2024 to 2029. Global 300mm storage capacity is also expected to continue increasing, reaching 4.1 million wafers per month in 2026 and 4.2 million wafers per month in 2027.

Additionally, SEMI has raised its forecast for equipment investment in the storage sector of 300mm wafer fabs, primarily driven by the continued upward revision of capital expenditure plans by leading cloud service providers and strong demand for AI accelerators. Thanks to the robust demand for HBM and DDR5 from GPUs and other AI accelerators, DRAM equipment spending is expected to grow by 29% to $37 billion in 2026. Supported by the increased data storage demand brought about by AI deployment, spending on 3D NAND equipment is also expected to grow by 28% to $14 billion in 2026.

Ongoing investments in advanced node DRAM and higher-layer 3D NAND support a more optimistic storage capacity outlook; however, effective capacity growth remains moderate due to technology migration and process complexities, including the transition of advanced node DRAM, HBM, and higher-layer NAND