AI Demand Drives Chip Equipment Sales to Record as Taiwan Rises to No. 2
Investment in next-generation AI infrastructure is accelerating demand for advanced logic chips and the manufacturing capacity needed to produce them. Semiconductor equipment sales tracked by industry group SEMI are a key gauge of capital spending across the chip supply chain, offering an early view of how spending on AI computing is flowing through to foundries and equipment makers.
Global semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales rose 23% from a year earlier to a record $40.53 billion in the second quarter of 2026, SEMI said. It was the second consecutive quarter in which sales reached an all-time high. China remained the world’s largest market, while Taiwan’s sales increased 24%, allowing it to overtake South Korea and move into second place.
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The history behind this eventAI Demand Fuels Global Chip Sales Surge, With 2026 Total Forecast to Top $1 Trillion
Investment in AI infrastructure is driving the global semiconductor market as major technology companies continue to expand AI server and data center capacity, boosting demand for GPUs, logic chips and high-bandwidth memory. The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization’s forecast is therefore closely watched as an indicator of supply-chain conditions and future capacity allocation.
WSTS has sharply raised its latest forecast for global semiconductor sales in 2026 to $1.5 trillion, up about 90% from its 2025 estimate. Sales would surpass $1 trillion for the first time and could set a record. Memory and logic chips such as GPUs are expected to lead the increase, with continued spending by technology giants on AI computing infrastructure remaining the main growth engine.
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