SEMI wafer data shows AI demand lifting silicon shipments

SEMI's Silicon Manufacturers Group reported worldwide silicon wafer shipments of 3,573 million square inches in the second quarter of 2026, according to the source item. That was higher than both the year-earlier quarter and the first quarter of 2026. The group attributed the growth to expanding AI-related demand across advanced logic, memory, power devices, photonics and other markets, while also noting that memory price pressure is weighing on PC and smartphone demand. For RamTrend, the mixed signal matters: wafer shipments show upstream capacity use and investment continuing to improve, but high memory prices are already affecting some downstream device categories. The net read is that AI demand remains strong enough to support wafer growth even as consumer elasticity appears in PCs and phones.