30 Years of Global Semiconductor Factory Construction Insights: 736 Days in the U.S., 8% More Than the Global Average

IT Home reported on February 17 that according to a recent report released by the Center for Security and Emerging Technologies (CSET), it takes an average of 736 days to build a new wafer factory in the United States, which is the second slowest in the world.

The report argues that the main reason for slowing down the construction schedule is the chaotic and complex regulatory policy, and that the CHIPS Act is not enough to improve the cost and time of fab construction, and recommends that reforms at all levels of government are necessary to allow the United States to catch up with other countries and regions.

Note: CSET investigated fab construction between 1990 and 2020 and concluded that of the approximately 635 fabs built during this period, the average time from start of construction to production was 682 days.

It is 620 days in South Korea and 584 days in Japan. The average time is 690 days in Europe and the Middle East, and 701 days in Chinese mainland.

The number of days in the United States is 736 days, which is well above the global average and second only to Southeast Asia's 781 days.

If you look at it from a specific age, the situation is even worse. In the '90s and 2000s, construction in the U.S. was quite fast, with an average construction time of about 675 days. By the 10s, that number had increased dramatically to 918 days.

Chinese mainland has grown much faster over the decade, with an average completion time of 675 days.

Of course, the number of U.S.-made fabs is also decreasing. In the 90s, 55 fabs were built in the United States, which dropped to 43 in the 2000s and 22 in the 10s.

At the same time, the pace of fab construction in China has accelerated dramatically, from 14 in the '90s, to 75 in the 2000s, and then to 95 in the '10s. Although Chinese mainland is still in the catch-up stage in semiconductor technology, it is undoubtedly a giant in fab construction.