SEMI’s Silicon Manufacturers Group released a quarterly note showing global silicon wafer shipments climbed 13.1% year‑on‑year to 3,275 million square inches (MSI), up from 2,896 MSI in 2025’s first quarter. The jump follows a modest 4.7% decline from the previous quarter’s 3,437 MSI, a swing that fits the usual seasonal dip. Silicon wafers remain the core substrate for most semiconductors, making the metric a barometer for the industry.

Chairman Ginji Yada of SEMI SMG, also a senior executive at SUMCO, noted that demand from AI data centers—especially advanced logic, memory, and power‑management chips—keeps the market buoyant. He added that the recovery is uneven: industrial semiconductor makers see stronger orders, while smartphone and PC shipments lag, tightening memory supply for high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI workloads.

The 300‑mm wafers that dominate the market are engineered to precise tolerances, and their availability directly affects chip yield and cost. As AI and edge computing demand grows, the industry’s ability to absorb excess inventory will dictate pricing trends. For manufacturers, the current uptick signals that the silicon supply chain remains resilient, even as flagship device shipments slow.