Global chip sales reached $791.7 billion in 2025. That is 25.6% above the $630.5 billion recorded a year earlier, and the Semiconductor Industry Association called it the highest annual total the industry has ever posted.
Asia Pacific drove much of the jump. In the association’s regional breakdown, yearly sales rose 45.0% in Asia Pacific and other markets, 30.5% in the Americas, 17.3% in China and 6.3% in Europe. Japan went the other way, down 4.7%. The final quarter alone brought in $236.6 billion, 37.1% more than the same quarter of 2024.
Logic products were the biggest category. They grew 39.9% to $301.9 billion. John Neuffer, the association’s president and chief executive, said emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, 6G and autonomous driving “will continue to drive robust demand for chips,” and projected global sales of roughly $1 trillion in 2026.
Where the industry sits
A report that FedEx released in Manila on Oct. 12, 2026, puts Asia Pacific at approximately 58% of global semiconductor revenue. The company produced it with Frost & Sullivan under the title From AI to EVs: How APAC Semiconductors Drive the Global Innovation Map. It names AI and high-performance computing as the fastest-growing sources of chip demand, and says more than 2,000 new data centers are expected to be built worldwide between 2026 and 2035. Electric vehicles, which need many more chips than conventional cars, add to the pull, as do 5G, medical devices and factory automation.
The work is spread across specialized hubs rather than one country. The report describes China as a materials supplier, consumer market and growing fabrication base. Taiwan leads advanced manufacturing and accounts for roughly 60% of worldwide foundry output. South Korea is a leader in memory chips, and Japan supplies equipment and specialty materials. Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, handles assembly, packaging and testing.
What respondents expect
FedEx also surveyed attendees at SEMICON Taiwan 2026. Nearly four in five named Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Greater China and Japan as the markets likely to see the biggest rise in chip demand over the next three years. Some 35% said they plan to expand manufacturing into more Asia Pacific markets, and a further 25% intend to increase or diversify their sourcing. Geopolitical disruption was the top worry for 30%, ahead of rising operating costs and customs complexity. And 44% said faster international shipping is the capability they would weigh most when choosing a logistics partner.
For the Philippines, the report sees a chance to build on decades in assembly, packaging and testing. “The Philippines has decades of experience and a strong talent base in semiconductor manufacturing,” said Garrick Thompson, managing director of FedEx Philippines, though he added that factories need dependable links to suppliers and customers to capture more of the growth. Salil Chari, FedEx’s president for Asia Pacific, said the next decade of innovation will depend as much on the resilience of supply chains as on the chips themselves.
Sources
- AI Boom Opens New Growth Opportunities for Philippine Semiconductor Industry, FedEx Report Finds (FedEx Newsroom)
- Global Annual Semiconductor Sales Increase 25.6% to $791.7 Billion in 2025 (Semiconductor Industry Association)
