With SEMI announcing that global silicon wafer shipments in the first quarter of 2026 increased by double digits compared to the same period last year, a recovery trend in the semiconductor materials market is emerging, driven by demand from AI data centers.

SEMI announced on the 6th that global silicon wafer shipments in the first quarter of 2026 reached 3.275 billion square inches. This represents a 13.1% increase from 2.896 billion square inches in the first quarter of 2025.

However, shipments decreased compared to the previous quarter. Shipments in the fourth quarter of 2025 were 3.437 billion square inches, down 4.7% from the first quarter of 2026. SEMI explained this as a trend driven by general seasonal factors.

Increased demand was notable in the semiconductor market related to AI data centers. Demand for silicon wafers used in advanced logic and memory semiconductors remained strong, and it was observed that demand is also expanding into the power management semiconductor sector.

"Demand for silicon wafers related to AI data centers continues to be strong and is now expanding into the power management semiconductor sector," said Kinji Yada, Chairman of SEMI SMG. He added, “Overall demand has improved, but the recovery is not uniform across all sectors, and the recovery in the industrial semiconductor sector is faster.”