May 8, 2025 /SemiMedia/ — Global semiconductor sales continued to climb in the first quarter of 2026 as demand from AI infrastructure and data center markets remained strong, according to new data released by the Semiconductor Industry Association.

The industry group said first-quarter global semiconductor sales reached US$298.5 billion, up 25% from the fourth quarter of 2025. March sales alone totaled US$99.5 billion, rising 79.2% from a year earlier and 11.5% from February.

John Neuffer, president and CEO of the association, said the semiconductor market is still on track to reach US$1 trillion in annual sales this year. He said strong demand across AI servers, cloud computing, automotive electronics and advanced consumer devices continued to support the market.

Asia-Pacific and other regions posted the fastest annual growth in March, with sales up 108.5% year over year. Sales in the Americas increased 83.1%, while China rose 74.8%. Europe recorded 46.5% growth and Japan increased 7.4%.

Compared with February, all major regions also reported higher sales in March. The Americas grew 13.3% month over month, followed by China at 12.7%, Asia-Pacific and other regions at 9.8%, Europe at 8.4% and Japan at 7.1%.