Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increased by 9.6% year-on-year (YoY) to 3,327 million square inches (MSI) from the 3,035 MSI recorded during the same quarter of 2024, according to SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group’s (SMG) quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Sequentially, shipments grew by 14.9% quarter-over-quarter from the 2,896 MSI recorded during the first quarter of this year, indicating emerging signs of recovery for select business sectors outside of memory.

“The silicon wafer demand for AI data-center chips, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), continues to be very strong. Fab utilization for other devices generally remains low, although inventory levels appear to be normalizing. While the direction of silicon shipments indicates positive momentum, the future impact of geopolitical and supply chain dynamics remains uncertain,” said Lee Chungwei, Chairman of SEMI SMG and Vice President and Chief Auditor at GlobalWafers.

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.

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 market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.