According to the latest report released by SIA (Semiconductor Industry Association), global semiconductor sales reached $5.49 billion in February 2025, a year-on-year increase of 17.1% compared to $4.69 billion in February 2024.
Despite a slight decline in sequential sales, sales in February were the highest on record for the same period in history, and for the 10th consecutive month of year-over-year growth of more than 17%, with nearly 50% year-over-year sales growth in the Americas becoming a key driver of the global market, according to the president and CEO of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).
From the perspective of regional markets, each region presents a completely different development pattern. With year-over-year sales growth of 48.4%, the Americas region emerged as a growth engine for the global semiconductor market. Behind this achievement is the in-depth layout and active investment in the field of emerging technologies in the Americas region. In recent years, technology giants in the Americas have vigorously developed cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, and the demand for advanced semiconductor chips has exploded. Nvidia, for example, has developed GPU chips for AI training and inference that are in short supply, driving the prosperity of the entire semiconductor industry chain. At the same time, the well-established technology ecosystem and strong R&D strength in the Americas have also attracted investment from global semiconductor companies, further promoting the development of the industry.
In stark contrast to the Americas region, sales in Europe fell 8.1% year-over-year in February. The European semiconductor industry has long faced fierce competition from the United States and Asia, and is gradually at a disadvantage in technological innovation and market share competition. The pace of transformation of traditional manufacturing in Europe is relatively slow, and the emerging demand for semiconductors is not tapped, which cannot provide sufficient growth momentum for the semiconductor market. In addition, Europe has shortcomings in key links in the semiconductor industry chain, such as high-end chip manufacturing and advanced packaging technology, and is overly dependent on imports, which makes it vulnerable to fluctuations in the global semiconductor market.
Figure: Global semiconductor sales increased 17.1% year-on-year in February
Asia-Pacific/Rest of World, China and Japan showed more modest growth, with year-on-year growth of 10.8%, 5.6% and 5.1%, respectively. As significant players in the global semiconductor industry, these regions have a strong foothold in mature markets and traditional applications. However, in the explosion of semiconductor demand driven by emerging technologies, the response speed is relatively slow, and it has not been able to fully seize the market opportunity to achieve rapid growth. However, these regions have a huge consumer market and a complete electronic manufacturing industry chain, with the continuous advancement of technological innovation and the gradual release of market demand, there is still great growth potential in the future.
While the global semiconductor market grew significantly year-on-year in February 2025, the month-on-month decline cannot be ignored. Sales in February were down 2.9% from January, and sequential declines were generally seen across all regions, which may be related to seasonality, market supply and demand adjustments, and uncertainty about the global economic environment. After a peak sales season at the beginning of the year, demand eased somewhat in February, resulting in a sequential decline in sales. At the same time, the global semiconductor supply chain has faced problems such as raw material shortages and logistics disruptions in the past period, which has affected the supply and sales of products. In addition, trade frictions and policy adjustments brought about by geopolitical factors have also increased market uncertainty, making companies and consumers more cautious in purchasing decisions.
With the rapid development of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and 5G communications, semiconductors, as the underlying supporting technology, will usher in a wider range of application scenarios and greater market demand. For example, in the field of artificial intelligence, the demand for high-performance computing chips will continue to grow to meet the requirements of large-scale data processing and complex algorithm training; In the field of IoT, the proliferation of various types of smart devices will drive the demand for low-power, high-performance semiconductor chips. However, issues such as market volatility and unbalanced regional development will continue to be important challenges for the industry. Semiconductor companies need to strengthen technological innovation, improve product competitiveness, and optimize market layout to cope with market changes.
