The artificial intelligence boom is redirecting semiconductor supply toward data centers and away from smartphones and PCs, Siltronic CEO Michael Heckmeier told Reuters in an interview published on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Siltronic is a German maker of silicon wafers, the round discs used as the base for manufacturing chips.
What changed in the outlook
The company raised its annual sales forecast for the second time this year, citing stronger demand for its wafers. According to Reuters reporting covered by Finimize, Siltronic now expects 2026 revenue to match 2025's €1.34 billion, after previously guiding for a low- to mid-single-digit decline. Its EBITDA margin outlook was narrowed to 22% to 24%, from 20% to 24%.
Third-quarter revenue rose to €355.4 million, from €300.3 million a year earlier. Heckmeier said demand is rising for 300 mm wafers, the format used for the most advanced chips, and increasingly for 200 mm wafers too, helped by added 300 mm capacity in Singapore.
Why data centers weigh so much
According to the executive, AI server farms consume roughly three to four times more silicon area than traditional servers, boosting demand for advanced wafers. Because customers can choose which segment to sell their chips to, they tend to send them to whoever pays best — and, in his words, the pockets of AI players, particularly hyperscalers, are the deepest.
Heckmeier said he sees no slowdown in AI demand today, but argued that even a moderation would not necessarily derail the industry's growth, because capacity could flow back to smartphones, PCs and other markets, where underlying demand remains solid. In his words, there is a natural balance in the system that could keep overall growth dynamics going.
Image credit: 2x910, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Illustrative photo of the surface of a 12-inch silicon wafer, not a photo of a Siltronic plant.
Fontes: Reuters, via KTWB e Finimize.
Transparency: this content was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, cross-checked against public posts and internet sources. Check the original sources to confirm the details.
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