The European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA) announced today that global semiconductor sales reached USD 517.7 billion in Q3 2026, an increase of 146.8% compared to Q3 2025. The quarter also recorded the highest quarter-on-quarter growth rate observed in 2026, confirming the continued acceleration of the global semiconductor market, in line with the latest World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) forecast. European semiconductor sales followed the global upward trend, reaching USD 28.6 billion in Q3 2026, up 102.5% year on year. These figures are based on the latest WSTS report. The growth figures continue to be strongly influenced by investments in AI data centres. Looking at other regions worldwide, the Americas recorded the highest year-on-year semiconductor sales growth in Q3 2026, with an increase of 191.7%, followed by Asia-Pacific (141.4%), and China (124.9%). In quarter-on-quarter terms, global semiconductor sales increased by 24.1% in Q3 2026 compared with Q2 2026. Europe recorded a similar increase with semiconductor sales rising by 22.5% over the same period. The main drivers of global semiconductor sales growth year on year in Q3 2026 were strong increases across most product categories, particularly Memory (up 405.7%), Logic (up 61.9%), and Microcomponents (up 26.6%). A similar trend was observed in the European semiconductor market, where the biggest growth drivers were Memory (up 392.2%), Logic (up 55.6%), and Microcomponents (up 42.4%). It should be emphasised that the spectacular growth in Memory sales, both globally and in Europe, continues to be largely driven by strong demand for AI data centres and AI infrastructure as well as significant price increases. Global sales of application-specific chips increased by 53.5% year-on-year in Q3 2026, driven primarily by strong demand in the computer segment. European sales of application-specific chips also recorded strong growth, increasing by 38.5% year-on-year. In Q3 2026 overall, due to exchange rates effects, European sales amounted EUR 24.8 billion, a 105.9% increase versus Q3 2025 sales level. Sales for Q3 2026 were 23.8% higher than in Q2 2026. The post Semiconductor Market Continues to Accelerate in Q3 2026 appeared first on Semiconductor Digest .