The third quarter also saw the strongest quarterly growth of 2016, with a 24.1% increase compared to the previous quarter. According to ESIA, market performance continues to be heavily influenced by investments in data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Europe surpasses $28.6 billion in sales
In Europe, semiconductor sales reached $28.6 billion, up 102.5% from the third quarter of 2025 and 22.5% from the second quarter of 2026. Expressed in euros, European sales amounted to €24.8 billion, with a year-on-year increase of 105.9% and a quarterly growth of 23.8%, also due to the effect of exchange rates.
By region, the Americas recorded the highest year-on-year growth at 191.7%, followed by Asia-Pacific at 141.4%, and China at 124.9%. Japan increased its sales by 73.4%.
Memory is leading the growth driven by AI demand
The memory category was the main driver of growth in the global market, with a year-on-year increase in sales of 405.7%. Logic chips also grew, by 61.9%, and microcomponents by 26.6%.
A similar trend was observed in Europe, with increases of 392.2% in memory, 55.6% in logic, and 42.4% in microcomponents.
ESIA attributes the strong growth in memory to demand from data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructures, as well as significant price increases.
Sales of circuits for specific applications are increasing
Semiconductors for specific applications also maintained positive performance during the quarter. Globally, sales grew 53.5% year-over-year, driven primarily by demand from the IT sector. In Europe, this category saw a 38.5% increase compared to the same period last year.
Regional balance sheet for the third quarter of 2026
According to the ESIA and WSTS results table, America accounted for $196.7 billion in quarterly sales, followed by Asia-Pacific with $144.9 billion, and China with $127.7 billion.
Europe recorded $28.6 billion and Japan, $19.8 billion.
In the first nine months of 2026, global sales reached $1.2412 trillion, while Europe added $70.7 billion.
The results confirm the acceleration of the semiconductor market during 2026, with a prominent role for memory and investment in technological infrastructure for artificial intelligence.
