Shanghai, China – April 16, 2026 – The global round wafer industry is undergoing a profound transformation in 2026, driven by the booming demand for AI chips, breakthroughs in two-dimensional semiconductor technology, and the in-depth restructuring of the photovoltaic silicon wafer sector, according to the latest industry reports released by SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International) and industry research institutions. As the core foundation of semiconductor and photovoltaic industries, round wafers are evolving toward larger sizes, higher purity and advanced material applications, reshaping the global industry pattern.
Market data shows that the global silicon wafer market maintained a stable growth momentum in 2025, with shipments increasing 5.8% year-on-year to 12,973 million square inches (MSI), while revenue slightly decreased by 1.2% to $11.4 billion, affected by the soft demand in traditional semiconductor segments. Looking ahead to 2026, the market is expected to achieve dual growth in both shipments and revenue, with the global round wafer market size projected to exceed $12.5 billion, driven by strong demand for advanced wafers in AI and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) applications.
A major technological breakthrough in 2026 is the accelerated industrialization of two-dimensional semiconductor wafers, which is breaking through the physical limits of traditional silicon-based wafers. In early April 2026, a research team jointly from the National University of Defense Technology and the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, achieved a world-first breakthrough by realizing the wafer-level controllable growth of high-performance P-type two-dimensional semiconductor tungsten silicon nitride (WSi₂N₄), increasing the growth rate by 1,000 times compared with traditional technologies and filling the last gap in the industrialization of two-dimensional chips.
This breakthrough enables the mass production of two-dimensional semiconductor wafers, which have significant advantages over traditional silicon-based wafers: their power consumption is reduced by 60% to 90%, electron mobility is 10 to 100 times higher, and they can achieve equivalent advanced process performance without relying on high-end EUV lithography machines, reducing equipment costs by 70%. In addition, research teams from Peking University and Fudan University have also made important progress, with the yield of two-dimensional-silicon hybrid flash memory chips reaching 94.3% and the erasing speed 1 million times faster than traditional flash memory.
In the photovoltaic silicon wafer segment, the industry is in a critical period of capacity restructuring after a two-year "cold winter". Driven by global low-carbon policies and industrial "anti-involution" policies, backward high-energy-consumption capacity is being accelerated eliminated. As of the first quarter of 2026, the price of polysilicon has rebounded to 45,000 to 65,000 yuan per ton, and the average price of 182mm N-type silicon wafers has risen to 1.15 to 1.25 yuan per piece, while 210mm N-type silicon wafers have rebounded to 1.35 to 1.45 yuan per piece, indicating a gradual recovery of the market.
The demand for round wafers in the semiconductor sector is mainly driven by the rapid development of AI and advanced manufacturing. The growing adoption of sub-3nm processes has boosted the demand for 300mm advanced epitaxial wafers and polished wafers, especially in AI-driven logic chips and HBM. In contrast, the legacy semiconductor segment is showing signs of gradual stabilization, with inventory levels in mature-node applications such as automotive, industrial and consumer electronics returning to normal after a long period of inventory adjustment.
The global round wafer market competition pattern is accelerating concentration. In the semiconductor wafer segment, leading enterprises such as Sumco, Shin-Etsu Chemical and GlobalWafers continue to occupy the high-end market, relying on their advantages in technology and scale. In China, domestic enterprises are accelerating technological breakthroughs, with key progress in 6-inch two-dimensional semiconductor single crystal wafer mass production, laying the foundation for large-scale production of large-size wafers. In the photovoltaic silicon wafer segment, the market share of top 4 enterprises has further increased, while small and medium-sized enterprises are facing increasing pressure from cash flow and technological upgrading, with more than 50 tail enterprises expected to exit the market in 2026.
From a regional perspective, the Asia-Pacific region remains the core growth market of the global round wafer industry, with China as the world’s largest producer and consumer. The northwest region of China, relying on its low electricity price advantage, accounts for more than 60% of the country’s low-cost photovoltaic silicon wafer capacity, while the Yangtze River Delta region has become a gathering place for two-dimensional semiconductor wafer R&D and production. Meanwhile, export demand for Chinese silicon wafers is adjusting, with the cancellation of export tax rebates prompting enterprises to shift from low-end capacity to high-end technology upgrading.
Industry experts predict that the global round wafer industry will enter a new stage of high-quality development in the second half of 2026. The industrialization of two-dimensional semiconductor wafers will open up new growth space, while the photovoltaic silicon wafer sector will gradually enter a profit inflection point. For enterprises, focusing on technological innovation, optimizing product structure and adapting to the demand changes of downstream industries will be the key to seizing market opportunities in the new round of industrial transformation.