Electronic gadgets, today, have transformed modern life, making everyday tasks easier across every field imaginable; and yet, ironically, manufacturing the core components of these ‘life-simplifying gadgets’, particularly semiconductor chips, remains one of the most intricate and challenging processes in contemporary manufacturing.
On the complex side, thousands of circuits need to be intricately integrated onto wafers having a thickness in the order of nanometers. Moreover, every gas or chemical that comes into contact with the wafer surface must maintain impurity levels below just a few parts per billion (ppb).
To achieve such precision, semiconductor manufacturing facilities (fabs) employ highly controlled clean rooms, where the environment is designed to isolate both the wafers and the workers from even the slightest contaminants. Most contaminations in the clean rooms are mitigated through continuous circulation of clean, dry, particle-free air and by strictly limiting and monitoring human access to these controlled environments. This continuous air filtration is typically achieved using HEPA and ULPA filters, supported by another critical yet often overlooked element in semiconductor fabs, i.e., a robust pipeline infrastructure.
A robust pipeline infrastructure is not only essential for maintaining air filtration in fabs but also for transporting critical resources such as ultra-pure water (UPW), which is consumed in large volumes during manufacturing. In addition to UPW, fabs typically rely on ~300 different types of chemicals, ~15% of which are toxic and therefore require stringent monitoring and leakproof transport throughout the facility.
A single fab may require nearly 40 kilometers of pipelines dedicated solely to the transportation of UPW. Beyond UPW, the requirement for large, continuous volumes of gases such as CO?, nitrogen, and hydrogen is also there, which again requires equally long and well-structured piping systems.
Since semiconductor fabs are the primary demand centers for these specialized piping systems, demand closely aligns with the distribution of global manufacturing capacity. Currently, around 75% of semiconductor manufacturing is concentrated in China and East Asia—regions prone to both seismic activity and political instability. Such vulnerabilities pose significant risks to the global supply chain. Recognizing these risks, major economies worldwide have already announced capital investments amounting to trillions of dollars to expand fab infrastructure globally and reduce reliance on external supply sources.
A 2024 report from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) indicates that U.S. semiconductor output is expected to more than triple between 2022 and 2032, representing a growth of over 200%, compared to a projected global output increase of 108% over the same period.
An expansion of this scale cannot be achieved simply by utilizing existing underused capacity and will require the establishment of numerous new high-volume fabs. As of Dec 2024, ~95 high-volume fabs were already announced, and 18 of which are expected to start construction in 2025 and be operational by 2027. Of these 18, the US and Japan lead with four fabs each.
Figure 1: New semiconductor fabs starting construction in 2025 – by Region
Establishment of new fabs naturally drives demand across several allied industries—including the critical piping systems that support semiconductor manufacturing.
As per the current distribution of the manufacturing capacity, in 2025, approximately 60% of the global demand for piping systems from the semiconductor fabrication industry is projected to originate from the APAC region, with China alone accounting for nearly 40% of this demand, according to a report by Stratview Research. The US, with its current capacity, comprises ~20% of the global demand as of 2025. However, given its ambitious expansion targets, a substantial shift in global demand dynamics could emerge after 2032 if the proposed goals are successfully realized and the already leading countries like China and Taiwan don’t announce an expansion of the same magnitude as that of the US.
The cumulative capital expenditure, spanning both private and government investments, during 2024–2032, is projected to exceed $2.3 trillion, with the majority (~60%) of this spending concentrated on Taiwan and the United States. Notable government initiatives and investments include China’s $142 bn equity funds, grants worth $39 billion under the U.S. CHIPS Act announced in August 2022, plus additional tax benefits. In the private sector, some notable investments are TSMC’s $100 billion investment in the US, announced in March 2025, and Texas Instruments’ $60 billion investment in the US, announced in June 2025, among others. With both demand and funding accelerating worldwide, the global semiconductor manufacturing market is projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2030. The corresponding demand for piping systems is estimated at around $720 million, according to Stratview Research. While this figure may appear modest compared to the trillion-dollar semiconductor market, it represents a substantial opportunity for specialized piping system providers to capitalize on.
Figure 2: Semiconductor Piping Market Forecast (2026-30)
Digging deeper, the growth potential is expected to be significantly higher for thermoplastic-based pipes, and within that class, the opportunity will be substantially higher for PVDF, as compared to PFA or other materials like PVC. While PFA pipes are considered the gold standard in semiconductor piping, their high cost limits their adoption primarily to the high-end fabs. According to Stratview’s analysis, PFA pipes are projected to account for less than 15% of the overall demand.
With the semiconductor sector poised for relentless growth over the coming decades, the next major challenge for the piping industry will be to balance innovation with compliance with increasingly stringent standards. At the center of this challenge lies the choice of materials.
The surge in electric vehicles has accelerated global demand for high-power electronics, driving a noticeable increase in silicon carbide (SiC) fabs compared to traditional silicon fabs. SiC fabs typically operate at temperatures about 1.5 times higher than their silicon counterparts, which makes high-performance thermoplastics such as PVDF and PFA suitable even for non-critical applications like waste lines. Both materials have long been the backbone of semiconductor piping due to their ability to withstand extreme thermal and chemical conditions.
However, there is a growing irony: the industry’s two most trusted materials—PVDF and PFA—are also classified as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a chemical class increasingly under regulatory scrutiny for environmental and health concerns. While no bans are currently in place, comprehensive regulation of PFAS is being studied in both the US and Europe. This looming uncertainty places the industry at a crossroads: on one hand, PVDF and PFA remain unmatched in performance; on the other, the need for PFAS-free alternatives is becoming increasingly urgent.
Research into such alternatives is underway, but breakthroughs have been scarce. One notable development came in July 2025, when Sekisui Chemicals announced progress in creating PFAS-free piping solutions for semiconductor fabs. However, their commercial adoption remains pending, signaling that the industry still has ground to cover before it can fully align performance demands with sustainability imperatives.
Ultimately, the semiconductor industry’s exponential growth offers a robust ‘pipeline of opportunities’ for piping system providers, especially in high-performance thermoplastics. Yet, alongside this surge lies the equally pressing challenge of regulatory scrutiny over PFAS materials and the urgent need for sustainable, high-performance alternatives. Thus, providers that can innovate beyond this regulatory horizon, while maintaining the uncompromising performance standards of fabs, will be best positioned to capture long-term value in this critical and rapidly evolving market.
Authored by Stratview Research. Also published on – Power Electronics News
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