SEMI Global Silicon Wafer Shipments Surge 13%

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments experienced a robust start to 2026, with a notable 13.1% year-on-year increase in the first quarter, as reported by SEMI. This growth underscores the ongoing momentum in AI-related semiconductor demand, even amidst challenges faced by certain end markets.

For readers of eeNews Europe, these statistics provide valuable insights into how AI is reshaping semiconductor supply chains and influencing wafer demand across various device segments.

AI Driving Force Behind Growth

In Q1 2026, shipments surged to 3,275 million square inches (MSI), up from 2,896 MSI in the previous year. However, there was a 4.7% sequential decline from Q4 2025, which aligns with typical seasonal patterns.

Ginji Yada, an executive at SUMCO Corporation, noted, “Silicon wafer demand linked to AI data centers remains robust, encompassing advanced logic, memory, and now extending to power management devices.”

The data indicates that AI workloads are not only spurring demand for high-end chips but also fueling the need for supporting components like power devices.

Uneven Recovery Across Markets

Despite the overall growth, the market recovery is uneven. Industrial semiconductor segments are showing signs of improvement, aiding in the absorption of excess wafer inventory and contributing to a broader economic upturn.

Yada highlighted, “While silicon wafer demand has seen enhancements, the recovery is not uniform. Several device companies have observed progress in the industrial semiconductor sector, leading to a more widespread recovery as wafer inventory gets utilized. The decline in smartphone and PC shipments in the first quarter of this year may be attributed to the impact of memory supply constraints due to AI high bandwidth memory (HBM) allocations.”

The shift in memory allocation towards AI applications seems to be impacting traditional consumer electronics markets, particularly smartphones and PCs.

Silicon wafers continue to serve as a fundamental material for semiconductor manufacturing, supporting a wide range of applications from automotive electronics to cloud infrastructure. As AI deployment continues to expand, trends in wafer demand are expected to closely align with data center investments and the evolution of chip architectures.