July 16, 2026 / SemiMedia / — Mainland China, Taiwan region and South Korea are expected to remain the world’s three largest semiconductor equipment markets through 2028 as investment in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and advanced memory continues to reshape chip manufacturing expenditure.

Mainland China is projected to retain its position as the largest equipment market throughout the forecast period. However, spending growth is expected to moderate in 2026 following several years of elevated investment in domestic fabs and semiconductor production capacity.

Equipment spending in Taiwan will be driven primarily by leading-edge foundry expansion. Rising demand for AI accelerators, high-performance computing chips and premium mobile processors is encouraging manufacturers to add advanced-node capacity, including 2-nanometer and subsequent process technologies.

South Korea’s investment outlook remains closely tied to the memory sector. Rapid growth in high-bandwidth memory demand, combined with advanced DRAM process migrations and capacity additions, is supporting further investment in wafer fabrication, testing and advanced packaging equipment.

Spending in the Americas, Japan, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia is also expected to increase in 2027 and 2028. Supply-chain regionalization, government incentives and targeted expansion of specialty semiconductor capacity will support investment outside the three largest Asian markets.

SEMI expects global semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales to reach a record $229 billion in 2028, with advanced logic, HBM-related DRAM, NAND technology transitions and advanced packaging among the primary growth drivers.