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According to its quarterly silicon wafer industry analysis report, the Silicon Manufacturers Group (SEMI SMG), a division of the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), indicated that global silicon wafer shipments reached 3,275 million square inches (MSI) in the first quarter of 2026, a 13.1% increase compared to 2,896 million square inches in the same period of 2025. However, compared to 3,437 million square inches in the fourth quarter of 2025, this represents a 4.7% quarter-on-quarter decrease, a trend consistent with typical seasonal patterns.

AI is driving a new round of structural changes in the semiconductor industry. Beyond the widely discussed GPUs, ASICs, HBMs, and advanced packaging, from the upstream materials perspective, AI-driven advanced processes are raising the bar for "material quality, wafer size, heat dissipation, and heterogeneous integration" across the entire semiconductor manufacturing chain. This is also leading the silicon wafer industry from relatively standardized basic material supply to higher-tech functional material platforms.

[Taipei Report by Chang Han-chi, Times Reporter] Thailand is becoming a key hub for the next wave of high-end manufacturing in the electronics industry. According to a report, the demand for AI computing power is becoming a major driving force for the growth of the global PCB industry, accelerating high-end manufacturing and supply chain restructuring, bringing a new wave of growth opportunities to Thailand's industry and economy. However, although Thailand's PCB industry is expanding rapidly, its overall ecosystem still needs improvement. Currently, 46% of companies have a local sourcing ratio of less than 20%, indicating that local supply chain integration still needs to be strengthened.

Research firm Omdia has significantly raised its 2026 semiconductor revenue forecast, estimating a 62.7% increase, primarily driven by unprecedented growth in the memory market, including DRAM and NAND Flash.

SEMI forecasts that global spending on 12-inch wafer fab equipment will reach US$133 billion in 2026, an increase of 18%, and is expected to increase by another 14% in 2027, exceeding US$150 billion for the first time. Strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips from data centers and edge devices, coupled with increasing regional emphasis on semiconductor self-sufficiency, are the main driving forces.

The SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International) recently released its "Global Semiconductor Equipment Market Report," which indicates that global semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales will reach approximately US$135.1 billion in 2025, representing a 15% year-on-year increase. This growth is primarily driven by the continued expansion of advanced logic, memory, and AI-related capacity.