Fab Capacity Utilization — Historical Time Series Data
TSMC, UMC, and Samsung foundry utilization rates quarterly from Q1 2022 through Q1 2026. Shows the two-speed recovery: leading-edge at 100% vs mature nodes declining. Samsung foundry series tracks the yield crisis and customer defections to TSMC.
Fab Capacity Utilization
TSMC, UMC, and Samsung foundry utilization rates quarterly from Q1 2022 through Q1 2026. Shows the two-speed recovery: leading-edge at 100% vs mature nodes declining. Samsung foundry series tracks the yield crisis and customer defections to TSMC.
Data sparse before 2022. Public pricing data for this category is limited prior to the AI demand inflection. Data points before 2022 are single-source estimates and should be treated as directional only.
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Data Table
| Period | Series | Value |
|---|---|---|
Q3 2022 | TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm) | ••• |
Q3 2022 | UMC Mature (>14nm) | ••• |
Q4 2022 | TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm) | ••• |
Q1 2023 | UMC Mature (>14nm) | ••• |
Q1 2023 | TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm) | ••• |
Q2 2023 | TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm) | 90% |
Q3 2023 | UMC Mature (>14nm) | 75% |
H2 2023 | TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm) | 100% |
2024 | UMC Mature (>14nm) | 65% |
2024 | TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm) | 100% |
2024 (TSMC mature) | TSMC Mature (≥14nm) | 70% |
H1 2025 | UMC Mature (>14nm) | 68% |
H1 2025 (TSMC mature) | TSMC Mature (≥14nm) | 72% |
Methodology & Sources
Sources: TSMC quarterly earnings transcripts, SemiAnalysis earnings analysis, Deep Research (120 sources). Note: foundries do not disclose exact utilization by node; figures are analyst estimates from wafer shipment and revenue data.
Citations:
- SemiAnalysis (Jan 2023)
- Deep Research (120 sources) (Mar 2026)
- UMC earnings / Silicon Analysts (Mar 2026)
- SemiAnalysis (Apr 2023)
- UMC earnings / industry reports (Mar 2026)
- TSMC Annual Report 2024 (Feb 2025)
- UMC Q1 2025 earnings / Silicon Analysts (Mar 2026)
- TSMC Q1 2025 earnings / Silicon Analysts (Mar 2026)
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is current semiconductor fab utilization?
- TSMC fab utilization recovered to approximately 90% by Q1 2025, up from the cyclical trough of roughly 70% in Q2 2023. Advanced nodes (3nm, 5nm) run at near-100% utilization while mature nodes (28nm+) remain around 60–70%.
- Why did fab utilization drop in 2023?
- The 2023 utilization downturn was caused by post-COVID inventory correction in consumer electronics (PCs, smartphones), coinciding with the DRAM/NAND price crash. AI demand partially offset this at leading-edge nodes, but mature nodes saw severe underutilization.