In 2025, the increase in silicon wafer shipments has been supported by strong AI-related growth, including advanced epitaxial wafers for leading edge logic devices and polished wafers for high bandwidth memory (HBM). Wafer shipments for non-AI applications, however, are just beginning to demonstrate a gradual recovery from the recent downcycle. The steady growth is expected to continue through 2028, driven by AI’s expanding compute footprint in data centers and at the edge.
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, produced in diameters of up to 300 mm, serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices, or chips, are fabricated.
All data cited in this release include polished silicon wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers shipped by wafer manufacturers to end users. The data does not include non-polished or reclaimed wafers.
The annual silicon shipment forecast is a non-official forecast developed based on input from the members of the Silicon Manufacturers Group, a sub-committee of the SEMI Electronic Materials Group.
