Silicon wafer shipments up 13% in Q1 2026

MARKET TRENDS Silicon wafer shipments up 13% in Q1 2026

2026-05-05 From SEMI 1 min Reading Time

The SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) has reported, in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry, that worldwide silicon wafer shipments increased 13.1% year-on-year to 3,275 million square inches (MSI) from the 2,896 MSI recorded during the same quarter of 2025. Sequentially, shipments declined 4.7% quarter-over-quarter from the 3,437 MSI recorded during the fourth quarter of 2025 in line with typical seasonality.

SEMI reports a 13% year‑on‑year increase in worldwide silicon wafer shipments in Q1 2026, reflecting growing demand across the semiconductor supply chain. (symbolic image)(Source: © AlirezA - stock.adobe.com) — SEMI reports a 13% year‑on‑year increase in worldwide silicon wafer shipments in Q1 2026, reflecting growing demand across the semiconductor supply chain. (symbolic image)
(Source: © AlirezA - stock.adobe.com)

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for the majority of semiconductors, which are vital components of all electronic devices. The highly engineered thin disks are produced in diameters of up to 300 mm and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductors are fabricated.

Global silicon wafer shipments rose 13% in Q1 2026, underscoring recovery and growth in chip manufacturing capacity.(Source: Semi) — Global silicon wafer shipments rose 13% in Q1 2026, underscoring recovery and growth in chip manufacturing capacity.
(Source: Semi)

The SMG is a sub-committee of the SEMI Electronic Materials Group (EMG) and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epitaxial). The SMG facilitates collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry, including the development of statistics about the silicon industry.

“Silicon wafer demand related to AI data centers continues to be strong, including advanced logic and memory, and also now extending to power management devices,” said Ginji Yada, Chairman of SEMI SMG and Managing Executive Officer, General Manager, Sales and Marketing Division at SUMCO Corporation.

Wolfspeed reported a milestone in silicon carbide manufacturing with the successful production of a single-crystal 300mm SiC wafer. (symbolic image) (Source: © Four888 - stock.adobe.com)

“Overall, silicon wafer demand has improved, but the recovery is not uniform. Many device companies have noted improvements in the industrial semiconductor segment, and this is creating a more broad-based recovery as wafer inventory is absorbed. Weaker smartphone and PC shipments in the first quarter of this year may show the impact of tighter supply of memory due to AI high bandwidth memory (HBM) allocation decisions.”

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