AI-led demand pushed semiconductor sales up 9.2% month-on-month to a new record.
Global semiconductor sales are continuing their record-breaking run, driven by sustained demand from artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, automotive electronics and industrial applications.
According to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), worldwide semiconductor sales reached US$120.6 billion in May 2026, the highest monthly total ever recorded. The figure represents a 9.2% increase from April 2026 and a 104.1% jump compared with May 2025. The sales data, compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), is based on a three-month moving average.
The latest results also mark the 15th consecutive month of month-on-month growth, highlighting the industry’s continued expansion as AI adoption accelerates across data centres, enterprises and consumer technologies. Growing deployments of AI servers, high-performance computing systems and intelligent edge devices are driving demand for advanced logic, memory, power and sensing semiconductors.
Regional markets recorded broad-based growth during the month. On a year-on-year basis, the Americas led with 132.2% growth, followed by Asia Pacific/All Other at 118.9%, China at 88.8%, Europe at 60.7%, and Japan at 23.8%.
Monthly momentum remained strong across all major markets. China posted the highest sequential growth at 10.7%, followed by Asia Pacific/All Other (9.2%), the Americas (8.6%), Europe (7.3%) and Japan (6.4%).
The record sales underscore the semiconductor industry’s expanding role in enabling next-generation technologies. As investments in AI infrastructure, cloud computing, electric vehicles and industrial automation continue to rise, chipmakers are expected to benefit from sustained global demand, reinforcing semiconductors as one of the fastest-growing segments of the technology industry.
