Global Semis: Dec 2025 WSTS Tracker - Sales +4.8% MoM, Above Seasonal Trends
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Bernstein reports that global semiconductor sales rose 4.8% month-over-month in December 2025, easily surpassing the historical December average of 2.2%. Year-over-year growth accelerated to 41.3%, up from 36.7% in November. For the full year, semiconductor sales surged 26% to approximately $792 billion, building on a solid 20% expansion recorded in 2024.
Logic chips led the annual segment growth with a 40% increase, followed by memory at 35% and standard linear analog at 17%. Conversely, discrete components and microcontroller units each experienced a 1% decline. Excluding memory, the broader semiconductor industry still grew by an impressive 22% over the year.
December delivered particularly strong performance for memory products, which soared 67.6% year-over-year, while non-memory sales climbed 30.4%. The three-month rolling average sequential growth reached 13.6%, significantly outpacing the historical benchmark of 2.6%. Unit shipments increased 9.6% month-over-month, while average selling prices declined by 4.4%.
Seven product categories outperformed seasonal trends sequentially, notably discrete components, optoelectronics, and DSP. On the end-market side, wired communications and automotive displayed remarkable strength above seasonal norms. Geographically, year-over-year growth was universal except for Japan, which contracted. Sequential gains were recorded across the Americas, China, and Europe. Bernstein's preferred large-cap names include Nvidia, Broadcom, and TSMC.