AI-driven supercycle boosts memory sales beyond foundry market, says TrendForce

The ongoing AI boom is expected to drive the global semiconductor market to new record levels by 2026. The memory market is benefiting particularly strongly, with its revenue projected by TrendForce to grow to $551.6 billion. This would make the memory segment more than twice the size of the global wafer foundry market, for which TrendForce forecasts revenue of $218.7 billion. According to the market researchers, this marks a **new memory supercycle**, which is structurally distinct from the last cycle in 2017-2019. This new supercycle is characterized by stronger demand and greater pricing power. Unlike the previous upswing, which was primarily driven by the expansion of cloud data centers, the current cycle is, according to TrendForce, **tighter, more restrictive on the supply side, and more sustainable**. The focus of the AI industry is increasingly shifting from pure training applications to **large-scale inference**, where fast response times and efficient data access are crucial