The semiconductor industry is expanding rapidly as countries race to build new fabs. While it takes around 19 months to build a fab in Taiwan, it takes a whopping 38 months to build a fab in the U.S. due to the extensive time it takes to get a permit and because fabs are not constructed 24/7, according to Exyte, a leading engineering, construction, and design company that specializes in high-tech facilities like chip production plants, reports Semiconductor Digest.
Taiwan completes fabs in around 19 months, followed by Singapore and Malaysia at 23 months. European projects take 34 months, while the U.S. is the slowest at 38 months. A key reason for this is Taiwan's streamlined permit process and round-the-clock construction, whereas the U.S. and Europe face delays in approvals and do not construct 24/7. The U.S. has enacted a law that exempts certain U.S. fabs from federal environmental assessments, but that is obviously not enough to be on par with Taiwan.
