Artificial Intelligence Boosts the Semiconductor Market
In short: Artificial intelligence is driving massive growth in the global semiconductor market. While Brazil relies heavily on imports, this boom could eventually bring new investments to the country.
Smart technology is changing the computer chip market at a very fast pace.
What happened, in plain words
Professor Carlos Eduardo Viana shared on Rádio USP that artificial intelligence is strongly impacting the semiconductor industry. The sector reached more than one trillion dollars in the first half of 2026, which is a 40 percent increase compared to the previous year, and experts expect it to hit 2.3 trillion dollars in revenue by 2030. Large companies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure. In Brazil, businesses use AI more and more for productivity and automation, but the country still imports its semiconductors rather than making them.
Key points
- Rapid growth The semiconductor sector moved more than one trillion dollars in the first half of 2026, marking a 40 percent rise from the year before.
- Future expectations Revenue is expected to reach 2.3 trillion dollars by 2030, driven heavily by AI infrastructure needs.
- Situation in Brazil Brazil does not play a major role in making computer chips and depends on buying them from other countries.
- Potential opportunities The high demand might increase the trade deficit, but it also creates chances to attract investments for data centers and future chip makers.
Terms explained
- semiconductors — Materials used to make computer chips that control electrical currents in electronic devices. Example: The tiny chips inside a smartphone that help it process information.
- data centers — Large buildings or rooms filled with computer systems and equipment to store and manage massive amounts of digital information. Example: A massive warehouse full of servers that saves all the photos and files people upload to the internet.
- trade deficit — A situation where a country spends more money on buying goods from other nations than it makes by selling its own goods to them. Example: A household buying more items from foreign online stores than it earns from selling things.
Why it matters
As artificial intelligence grows, it changes the global technology market and influences how countries handle trade and technology investments.
What we still don't know
The source does not provide details on when international chip manufacturers might actually set up factories in Brazil.
Based on reporting from Jornal da USP. This is an independent explainer, written in our own words with AI assistance; Jornal da USP has not reviewed or endorsed it. Read the original for the full details.