Global Silicon Wafer Shipments Up 13.1% Year-on-Year in Q1, Driven by Strong AI Demand

(CNA Reporter Chang Chien-chung, Hsinchu, 30th) According to statistics from the International Semiconductor Industry Association (SEMI), global silicon wafer shipments for the first quarter of 2026 totaled 3.275 billion square inches, a decrease of 4.7% quarter-on-quarter, but an increase of 13.1% year-on-year. SEMI stated that artificial intelligence (AI)-related demand remains strong.

SEMI noted that while silicon wafer demand has improved, the pace of recovery is not balanced. Observing the rebound in industrial semiconductor demand, a broader market recovery is being driven by the depletion of wafer inventories.

SEMI pointed out that AI data centers are driving strong demand for advanced logic and memory, and this is now further boosting demand for power management components.

Due to some production capacity shifting to prioritize support for AI high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the supply of general memory has become relatively tight. SEMI stated that this further affected the weaker performance of smartphone and personal computer shipments in the first quarter. (Edited by Lin Shu-yuan) 1150430

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