Global Silicon Wafer Supply Gap Seen Widening Through 2028

The global silicon wafer supply gap is expected to widen as HBM and sub-2-nanometer advanced logic capacity expands, with the shortfall projected to grow from about 8% at the end of 2026 to 15% in 2027 and 24% in 2028. According to ChainCatcher, analysts said GlobalWafers, Wafer Works, and Sino-American Silicon Products could benefit, while the second half of 2027 through the first half of 2028 may see another round of shortages if supply growth fails to keep pace. SEMI said global silicon wafer shipments reached 3.573 billion square inches in the second quarter of 2026, up 9.1% quarter over quarter and 7.4% year over year. Analysts estimated global 12-inch silicon wafer monthly capacity at about 10.69 million wafers in 2026, rising 7% year over year, then increasing only about 3% to 11 million wafers in 2027 and about 6% to 11.7 million to 11.76 million wafers in 2028. The expected new supply includes about 300,000 wafers from the initial phase of GlobalWafers' second stage and about 100,000 wafers from Wafer Works. Analysts also projected HBM silicon wafer consumption to rise 23% in 2027 and 28% in 2028, while new DRAM capacity is expected to add about 350,000 to 450,000 wafers per month by 2028. Logic process wafer consumption is forecast to grow 12% in 2027 and 11% in 2028. Customer wafer inventories remain at about 100 to 120 days, above the normal 50 to 70 days.