5 Expectations for the Manufacturing Market in 2026
TSMC’s 2nm production scale-up, China’s export control and emissions challenges- what’s next for manufacturing.
The semiconductor manufacturing industry is undergoing a transformative period as AI-driven investments accelerate, sustainability pressures mount, and foundries navigate capacity expansion amid weak consumer demand.In this live TechInsights webinar, our manufacturing experts will highlight five critical developments shaping semiconductor fabrication and equipment markets in 2026, offering actionable insights for strategists, foundry operators, and equipment suppliers.
What You’ll Learn:
In this session we’ll unpack five high-impact topics and their strategic implications:
TSMC’s 2nm Mass Production Leadership — Achieving 7% of total capacity by 2026 while foundry/logic CAPEX rises for the first time since 2022.
Semiconductor Fabrication Emissions — Projected to hit 200 million metric tons CO₂e in 2026 with Taiwan, South Korea, and China leading emissions' growth.
Inventory Optimization & AI Growth — Leveraging oversupply in consumer, industrial, and automotive segments to focus on AI-driven production.
Glass Substrates Challenge Traditional Materials — Superior flatness, signal integrity, and sub-2-micron via capabilities for AI accelerators and HBM applications.
Wafer Fab Equipment Growth Focus — Concentration in microlithography for cutting-edge AI chips, with subsystem suppliers benefiting from Asian capacity expansions.
Whether you’re a manufacturing strategist, foundry operator, or equipment supplier, this webinar will equip you to navigate AI infrastructure demands, environmental responsibility, and advanced packaging transitions.
Meet the presenters
Boris Metodiev
Director of Semiconductor Manufacturing Analysis
As the Director of Semiconductor Manufacturing Analysis at TechInsights, Boris Metodiev is proud to lead the team recognized for setting the standard in the semiconductor manufacturing consultancy and advisory field. Boris’ expertise provides deep coverage in the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain and market analytics such as forecasts, sales, capacity, equipment, industry structure, market drivers, and pricing.
Cameron McKnight-MacNeil
Process Analyst
Cameron McKnight-MacNeil is a Process Analyst with over a decade of experience analyzing semiconductor advanced packaging technologies. He regularly analyzes high-performance compute, AI, desktop, and mobile devices, documenting how they're made and what makes them unique. Cameron holds numerous patents in advanced packaging and compound semiconductors.
Thomas “Gray” Stephenson
Senior Analyst
Thomas “Gray” Stephenson is a Senior Analyst at TechInsights, focused on Critical Subsystems for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. He plays a vital role in not only mapping the semiconductor industry, but also in helping companies make the kind of intelligent investments and decisions that can drive innovation and shape the future of semiconductors.
Stephen Russell
Senior Technical Fellow
As Senior Technical Fellow for Sustainability at TechInsights, Stephen provides expert insight into carbon footprint across the entire technology life cycle, from raw materials through product manufacturing, use and end of life. Stephen also works on unique initiatives to characterize Scope 3 emissions in the use phase of consumer electronics products, with further reaching implications for data center and automotive applications.Stephen has 20 years of experience in the semiconductor sector with a background in several semiconductor technologies for energy efficiency.
Don’t just follow the market—lead semiconductor manufacturing into 2026.
Whether you’re a manufacturing strategist, foundry operator, or equipment supplier, this webinar will equip you to navigate AI infrastructure demands, environmental responsibility, and advanced packaging transitions.
Originally aired: January 14, 2026
