Fab Capacity Utilization
Newest print Jul 2026Reviewed quarterlyCSV — newest observations; full series with a Pro keyAPI
UMC Mature (>14nm): 85% (Q2 2026) — UMC Q2 2026 results release, Jul 2026 (confirmed). Basis: derived ratio. +7.6% vs Q1 2026.
Fab Capacity Utilization — latest readings
23 observations across 4 series, Q1 2022–Q3 2026.
| Series | Latest (%) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung FoundryQ1 2026 | 65% | Our model estimateSilicon Analysts modelMar 2026 |
| TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm)2024 | 100% | TSMC Annual Report 2024Feb 2025 |
| UMC Mature (>14nm)Q2 2026 | 85% | UMC Q2 2026 results releaseJul 2026 |
| TSMC Mature (≥14nm)H1 2025 (TSMC mature) | 72% | TSMC Q1 2025 earnings / Silicon AnalystsMar 2026 |
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.
UMC Mature (>14nm): 85% (Q2 2026), UMC Q2 2026 results release, Jul 2026
2022–2024: 11 earlier prints — full ledger is Pro
- 1Q3 2022 — Samsung SF4 Yield Crisis: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 yield problems trigger Samsung foundry utilization collapse and customer defections to TSMC
- 2Q2 2023 — AI Saves Leading Edge: 5nm back to full utilization led by AI orders while mature nodes crater to 65–75%.
- 3Q2 2023 — Samsung Foundry Losses Peak: Samsung foundry division reports operating losses; utilization at 48-55%, lowest since 2019
Source: Deep Research, SemiAnalysis, TSMC Annual Report 2024, Samsung investor day / analyst estimates Q2 2024, Industry estimates Q4 2024, UMC Q1 2025 earnings / Silicon Analysts and 4 more · Basis: derived ratio · Anonymous view: the newest 2–3 observations per series (May 2023–May 2026); 11 earlier prints back to 2022 — full ledger is Pro.
Prints ledger
| Note and copy | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | UMC Mature (>14nm) | 85% | |||||
Source: UMC Q2 2026 results release, Jul 2026 · Basis: derived ratio · Confirmed Consensus of 3 independent sources (stocktitan.net, finance.yahoo.com, morningstar.com); strong agreement. | |||||||
| Q1 2026 | UMC Mature (>14nm) | 79% | |||||
Source: UMC Q1 2026 results release, Apr 2026 · Basis: derived ratio · Confirmed UMC reported Q1 2026 capacity utilization of 79%. Corroborated by two independent carriers of the same release (NASDAQ, OTC Markets) in foundry_ir_facts. | |||||||
| Q1 2026 | Samsung FoundryOur model estimate | 65%58%–72% | |||||
Source: Silicon Analysts estimate Mar 2026, Mar 2026 · Basis: derived ratio · Estimate Ongoing recovery. SF2 GAA ramp and AMD MI400 potential win key for utilization improvement. | |||||||
| H1 2025 (TSMC mature) | TSMC Mature (≥14nm) | 72%68%–76% | |||||
Source: TSMC Q1 2025 earnings / Silicon Analysts, Mar 2026 · Basis: derived ratio · Estimate Slight improvement from trough. IoT and automotive recovery offsetting continued Chinese competition. | |||||||
| H1 2025 | UMC Mature (>14nm) | 68% | |||||
Source: UMC Q1 2025 earnings / Silicon Analysts, Mar 2026 · Basis: derived ratio · Estimate Modest recovery from trough. Auto and industrial demand starting to recover but Chinese capacity overhang persists. | |||||||
| Q4 2024 | Samsung Foundry | 60%55%–68% | |||||
Source: Industry estimates Q4 2024, Dec 2024 · Basis: derived ratio · Estimate Recovery continues but well below TSMC. Samsung 2nm GAA ramp critical for 2025. | |||||||
| Q2 2024 | Samsung Foundry | 55%50%–62% | |||||
Source: Samsung investor day / analyst estimates Q2 2024, Jun 2024 · Basis: derived ratio · Estimate Gradual recovery on Exynos 2500 and some AI chip wins; SF3E improving | |||||||
| 2024 (TSMC mature) | TSMC Mature (≥14nm) | 70%65%–75% | |||||
Source: Deep Research (120 sources), Mar 2026 · Basis: derived ratio · Estimate Sharp divergence from leading-edge strength. Structural headwind from Chinese capacity additions (SMIC, NexChip). | |||||||
| 2024 | TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm) | 100% | |||||
Source: TSMC Annual Report 2024, Feb 2025 · Basis: derived ratio · Confirmed Advanced nodes (≤7nm) = 69% of wafer revenue. Supply-constrained. | |||||||
| H2 2023 | TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm) | 100% | |||||
Source: Deep Research (120 sources), Mar 2026 · Basis: derived ratio · Estimate 5nm/3nm returned to full utilization driven by NVIDIA GPU orders. AI demand inflection. | |||||||
| Q2 2023 | TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm) | 90% | |||||
Source: SemiAnalysis, Apr 2023 · Basis: derived ratio · Estimate 5nm back to full in Q2. Led by AI orders. | |||||||
| Samsung Foundry: 4 earlier prints, Q1 2022–Q4 2023 — full ledger is Pro | |||||||
| TSMC Leading Edge (≤7nm): 3 earlier prints, Q3 2022–Q1 2023 — full ledger is Pro | |||||||
| UMC Mature (>14nm): 4 earlier prints, Q3 2022–2024 and 1 projection (Q3 2026) — full ledger is Pro | |||||||
| Showing the newest 2–3 observations per series (Q2 2023–Q2 2026); 11 earlier observations (Q1 2022–2024) and 1 projection are in Pro. | |||||||
Provenance
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.
Basis: derived ratio
Analyst estimate derived from reported wafer shipments and revenue. Foundries do not disclose utilization by node; these are not company-reported figures.
Sources
- Industry estimates Q1 2022 (Mar 2022)
- DigiTimes / analyst estimates Q3 2022 (Sep 2022)
- SemiAnalysis (Jan 2023)
- Deep Research (120 sources) (Mar 2026)
- UMC earnings / Silicon Analysts (Mar 2026)
- SemiAnalysis (Apr 2023)
- Samsung Q2 2023 earnings (Jul 2023)
- UMC earnings / industry reports (Mar 2026)
- Samsung Q4 2023 earnings (Jan 2024)
- TSMC Annual Report 2024 (Feb 2025)
- Samsung investor day / analyst estimates Q2 2024 (Jun 2024)
- Industry estimates Q4 2024 (Dec 2024)
- UMC Q1 2025 earnings / Silicon Analysts (Mar 2026)
- TSMC Q1 2025 earnings / Silicon Analysts (Mar 2026)
- UMC Q1 2026 results release (Apr 2026)
- UMC Q2 2026 results release (Jul 2026)
Our derivations
- Silicon Analysts estimate Mar 2026 (Mar 2026)
Suggested citation
Silicon Analysts, "Fab Capacity Utilization", as of Jul 2026, https://siliconanalysts.com/market-data/fab-utilization, retrieved October 12, 2026.
API: /api/v1/market-data/fab-utilizationCSVLicence
Data sparse before 2022: public pricing data for this category is limited prior to the AI demand inflection; points before 2022 are single-source estimates and should be treated as directional only.
Showing the newest 2–3 observations per series (Q2 2023–Q2 2026); 11 earlier observations (Q1 2022–2024) and 1 projection are in Pro.
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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.