Worldwide Silicon Wafer Shipments Increase 2% Year-on-Year in Q1 2025

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Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increased 2.2% year-on-year (YoY) to 2,896 million square inches (MSI) from the 2,834 MSI recorded during the same quarter of 2024, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry. Sequentially, shipments contracted 9.0% quarter-over-quarter from the 3,182 MSI recorded during the fourth quarter of last year impacted, primarily, by seasonality and accumulated inventory levels throughout the supply chain.

Q1 2025 silicon shipments indicated a 6% YoY growth in 300mm but showed a decline in 200mm and below wafer sizes,” said Lee Chungwei (李崇偉), Chairman of SEMI SMG and Vice President and Chief Auditor at GlobalWafers. “Despite an incremental increase in 300mm wafer shipments, demand for legacy devices remains weak, with inventory adjustments also contributing to a slowdown in shipments.”

Data cited in this release include polished silicon wafers, including those used as virgin test wafers, as well as epitaxial silicon wafers, and non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to end users.

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for the majority of semiconductors, which are vital components of all electronic devices. The highly engineered thin disks are produced in diameters of up to 300mm and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductors are fabricated.

The SMG is a sub-committee of the SEMI Electronic Materials Group (EMG) and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi). The SMG facilitates collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.