October 9, 2026 / SemiMedia / — Global semiconductor sales surpassed $1 trillion through the first eight months of 2026 for the first time, setting a new industry record as AI infrastructure and computing demand continue to drive rapid market expansion.

Worldwide chip sales reached $159.7 billion in August, up 144.3% from $65.4 billion a year earlier and 8% from $147.9 billion in July. The result marked the 18th consecutive month of growth for the global semiconductor market.

Growth remained broad across major regions. August semiconductor sales increased 180.9% year over year in the Americas, 143% in Asia Pacific and other markets, 131.3% in China, 98.5% in Europe and 62.3% in Japan. All major regions also recorded sequential growth during the month.

AI infrastructure remains a major driver of the expansion. Rising demand for AI accelerators, custom ASICs and other high-performance computing processors is supporting advanced logic production while also increasing demand for high-speed networking and other data center semiconductors.

Memory is another major contributor. AI servers require large amounts of HBM, DRAM and enterprise NAND, pushing memory demand and prices significantly higher and encouraging suppliers to expand capacity.

The growth is also moving upstream into semiconductor manufacturing. Higher AI chip volumes are increasing demand for leading-edge foundry capacity, advanced packaging and semiconductor testing, while memory manufacturers continue to invest heavily in HBM and advanced DRAM production.

SIA now expects global semiconductor sales to exceed $1.6 trillion in 2026. At the current pace, the industry is moving well beyond previous annual market records, with AI computing, memory and data center infrastructure remaining the key sources of growth.