[SEMI: Q1 Global Semiconductor Equipment Sales Hit Record High of $36.5 Billion, Up 14% YoY] Odaily Planet Daily News – The Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) released its latest 'Global Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics Report' on the 11th. Data shows that in the first quarter of 2026, global semiconductor equipment sales reached $36.55 billion, a 1% increase quarter-on-quarter and a 14% increase year-on-year, setting a new single-quarter record high. In terms of regional rankings, South Korea surpassed Taiwan to rank second globally. SEMI stated that the semiconductor equipment market in the first quarter of this year continued to benefit from the investment boom in the artificial intelligence sector, with global semiconductor companies ramping up production capacity and advancing technological upgrades. Related investments were primarily directed toward advanced logic processes, dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), and advanced packaging fields, driving the equipment market scale to new heights. (Jin10)