The numbers behind 2026's AI buildout keep climbing. Global semiconductor sales reached $403.3 billion in Q2 2026, up 35.1% from Q1 — and June 2026 alone posted $134.5 billion in sales, up 123.6% year-over-year.
AI capex is the story
Q2 earnings season confirmed what the market has signaled for months: AI capital expenditure is accelerating, not plateauing. Broadcom's own guidance calls for AI semiconductor revenue to grow more than 200% year-over-year to $16.0 billion in the current quarter alone.
What's driving it
The growth isn't concentrated in one segment — GPUs, high-bandwidth memory, networking silicon, and the discrete power and signal components that support all of it are seeing correlated demand increases as hyperscalers and enterprises build out AI infrastructure simultaneously.
Our take
Cycles like this tend to stress supply chains for components that don't get the headlines — power MOSFETs, protection diodes, and RF parts that every board still depends on regardless of which AI chip sits at the center of it. If you're planning a build-out and want to get ahead of lead times, now's the time to start those conversations.