Defect formation and doping limits in semiconductors are discussed in terms of the amphoteric defect model (ADM). It is shown that the nature of defects, acceptor-like or donor-like, depends on the location of the Fermi energy relative to a common energy reference, the Fermi level-stabilization energy. The maximum free electron or hole concentration that can be achieved by doping is an intrinsic property of a given semiconductor and is fully determined by the location of the semiconductor band edges with respect to the same energy reference. The ADM provides a simple phenomenological rule that explains experimentally observed trends in free carrier saturation in a variety of semiconductor materials and their alloys. The predictions of a large enhancement of the maximum electron concentration in III-N-V alloys have been recently confirmed by experiment.