Silicon Becomes New Gold: Semiconductor Wafer Market Surges 11.5% in One Quarter

Combined revenue of the ten largest semiconductor wafer producers hit a record $534.9 billion in the second quarter of 2026, marking an 11.5% increase over the previous period. According to TrendForce, this growth was driven by a shortage of AI and high-performance computing (HPC) chips, demand for accompanying components such as power discrete ICs and PMICs, and early procurement of parts for laptops, PCs, and televisions. TSMC maintained its market leadership with a 72.5% share. The company's revenue rose 12.1% to $402 billion, supported by full capacity utilization of its 3nm, 4nm, and 5nm lines for AI server GPUs/XPUs, preparations for new iPhone launches, and initial revenue from 2nm process orders. These factors increased both shipment volumes and average selling prices (ASP). Samsung Foundry ranked second with revenue of $3.26 billion, a 1.8% increase attributed to new HBM Base Die orders and price hikes for processes 5nm and below. Despite this, Samsung's market share dropped to 5.9% as competitors grew faster.