Global semiconductor sales surge 25% QoQ to $298.5B in Q1 2026, March up 79.2% YoY

The Semiconductor Industry Association announced on May 4, 2026, that global semiconductor sales reached $298.5 billion in Q1 2026, a 25% increase from Q4 2025. March 2026 alone hit $99.5 billion, up 79.2% from $55.5 billion in March 2025 and 11.5% from February 2026. The data is compiled by World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) as a three-month moving average. SIA represents 99% of U.S. semiconductor industry revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms. The semiconductor industry is projected to reach $2 trillion in annual revenue by 2035. The 79.2% year-over-year March surge is one of the largest on record and likely reflects AI-driven demand for GPUs and specialized accelerators, though inventory restocking and tariff-related pull-forward may also be contributing factors.