Quarter-over-Quarter Shipment Growth in 2025 Indicates Early Signs of Recovery Beyond Memory
MILPITAS, Calif. — July 29, 2025 — The SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported, in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry, that worldwide silicon wafer shipments increased 9.6% year-on-year to 3,327 million square inches (MSI) from the 3,035 MSI recorded during the same quarter of 2024. Sequentially, shipments grew 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,” said Lee Chungwei (李崇偉), Chairman of SEMI SMG and Vice President and Chief Auditor at GlobalWafers. “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.”
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.
For more information, visit SEMI Worldwide Silicon Wafer Shipment Statistics.
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SEMI® is the global industry association connecting over 3,000 member companies and 1.5 million professionals worldwide across the semiconductor and electronics design and manufacturing supply chain. We accelerate member collaboration on solutions to top industry challenges through Advocacy, Workforce Development, Sustainability, Supply Chain Management and other programs. Our SEMICON® expositions and events, technology communities, standards and market intelligence help advance our members’ business growth and innovations in design, devices, equipment, materials, services and software, enabling smarter, faster, more secure electronics. Visit www.semi.org, contact a regional office, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and X to learn more.
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