Capital Flow / Sector Deep-dive

Omdia Raises 2026 Semiconductor Revenue Growth Forecast to 62.7% as AI Lifts Memory Chip Demand

Omdia has raised its forecast for global semiconductor revenue growth in 2026 to 62.7%. The sources consistently point to AI-driven surging demand for DRAM and NAND, along with ongoing supply shortages. A third-party report citing TrendForce says memory prices will still rise sharply in Q2 2026 and that HBM prioritization is squeezing supply for other end markets. The claim that shortages will continue into 2027 is not directly confirmed by Sources 1 and 2, while Source 3 reflects a different institution’s longer-term supply-demand outlook and cannot be equated with Omdia’s conclusion.

TSO brief

  • Omdia has raised its forecast for global semiconductor revenue growth in 2026 to 62.7%. The sources consistently point to AI-driven surging demand for DRAM and NAND, along with ongoing supply shortages. A third-party report citing TrendForce says memory prices will still rise sharply in Q2 2026 and that HBM prioritization is squeezing supply for other end markets. The claim that shortages will continue into 2027 is not directly confirmed by Sources 1 and 2, while Source 3 reflects a different institution’s longer-term supply-demand outlook and cannot be equated with Omdia’s conclusion.
  • Capital Flow · Sector Deep-dive
  • Apr 26, 2026
TSO noteEach article is checked against independent reporting. The original source links are listed with the analysis so readers can inspect the evidence directly.

Source transparency

Original reporting sources

  1. Omdia Raises 2026 Semiconductor Forecast to 62.7% as AI Drives Global Memory Crunch – Company Announcement - Financial Timesmarkets.ft.com
  2. Omdia raises 2026 semiconductor forecast to 62.7% as AI drives global memory crunch - Light Readingwww.lightreading.com
  3. Global memory supply is expected to only meet 60% of demand by 2027, and by mid-2026, memory will account for approximately 40% of the manufacturing cost of low-cost smartphones. - GIGAZINEgigazine.net

Top three-source view and TSO verification conclusion:

  • Source 1 (Financial Times citing an Omdia company announcement): Omdia raised its 2026 semiconductor revenue forecast to 62.7% and said DRAM and NAND are seeing “unprecedented” growth driven by sustained demand and supply shortages.

  • Source 2 (Light Reading citing the same Omdia forecast): It also confirms the 2026 forecast was raised to 62.7%, and adds that computing and data storage will lead semiconductor segments with 90% year-over-year growth, generating more than $700 billion in revenue.

  • Source 3 (GIGAZINE citing TrendForce): This is not Omdia’s original text, but another institution’s forecast for the memory market. It says DRAM and NAND prices will rise significantly in Q2 2026 and mentions AI-driven HBM priority allocation and broader memory shortages.

TSO verification conclusion:

  • Cross-source confirmed: Omdia did raise its 2026 semiconductor revenue growth forecast to 62.7%, and AI-related demand plus memory chip shortages are the core narrative.

  • Not directly confirmable from the three sources: that shortages will continue into 2027. This wording appears only in the task summary; the provided sources do not show Omdia explicitly making that time-extension claim.

  • Source 3 is supporting evidence, not the same forecasting body, so it is useful as background corroboration but cannot replace Omdia’s judgment.

Commonly confirmed facts:

  1. Omdia raised its forecast for global semiconductor revenue growth in 2026 to 62.7%.

  2. DRAM and NAND are the main beneficiaries of this upward revision.

  3. Rising demand and supply shortages are both present, and shortage pressure is still ongoing.

  4. AI is the key backdrop driving higher memory and storage demand.

Main differences or points of divergence:

  1. Different descriptions of market coverage:

    • Source 1 focuses on DRAM and NAND.

    • Source 2 further mentions the “computing and data storage” segment, with 90% year-over-year growth and revenue above $700 billion.

    • Source 3 focuses on memory price increases, HBM prioritization, and impacts on smartphones and PCs, which is not Omdia’s same framing.

  2. Different time horizons:

    • Sources 1 and 2 only confirm that shortages are expected to continue in 2026.

    • Source 3 offers a longer-term supply-demand outlook, but it comes from TrendForce and cannot be confirmed from the provided sources as Omdia’s conclusion.

  3. The claim that “HBM squeezes traditional memory supply”:

    • Only Source 3 explicitly mentions this.

    • Whether this is a direct statement in Omdia’s announcement cannot be confirmed from the provided sources.

Background and analysis:
The core logic behind Omdia’s upgrade is that AI demand is expanding memory and data storage faster than the supply side can add capacity. Sources 1 and 2 both explicitly link DRAM and NAND with ongoing shortages, and Source 2 also identifies computing and data storage as the fastest-growing subsegment. This indicates that the current semiconductor upcycle is not spreading evenly, but is highly concentrated in compute and storage tied to AI infrastructure.
Source 3 provides more detailed price and supply-side corroboration: contract prices for DRAM and NAND are expected to keep rising sharply in Q2 2026, while AI-driven HBM prioritization is affecting available supply in other end markets. However, these details come from TrendForce-related reporting and cannot be directly attributed to Omdia.
Based on the confirmed information, this upward revision reflects a dual driver of stronger demand and constrained supply. For the industry chain, memory chip tightness may be more pronounced than in ordinary logic chips, but the claim that it will last into 2027 is not directly confirmed by Omdia’s original text in the provided sources.

Three-source summary:

  • Source 1: Omdia raised its 2026 semiconductor revenue forecast to 62.7%, with DRAM and NAND growing strongly on demand and shortages.

  • Source 2: It also confirms the 62.7% upgrade and says computing and data storage will grow 90% year over year, with revenue above $700 billion.

  • Source 3: TrendForce-related forecasts show DRAM and NAND prices are expected to keep rising sharply in Q2 2026, while AI-driven HBM prioritization and broader memory shortages are affecting phones and PCs.

Conclusion:
Taken together, the three sources confirm that Omdia has sharply raised its 2026 semiconductor revenue growth forecast to 62.7%, and that AI-related storage demand and supply shortages are the clearest explanatory framework. As for whether shortages will continue into 2027, and how much HBM is squeezing traditional memory supply, the provided sources only support these as corroborating or unverified points, not as facts directly confirmed by Omdia.

Capital Flow