Wire saw slicing technology has become a research hotspot in the field of slicing of brittle-and-hard materials. As an important process in semiconductor wafer processing, wire saw slicing has a crucial impact on the quality of semiconductor wafers. This paper introduces the basic theory and the research progress of wire saw slicing technology, taking the most mature silicon crystal as an example, especially the mechanical model and material removal mechanism of wire saw slicing. Then the influence of wire saw manufacturing technology and slicing process on the material is discussed. Furthermore, silicon carbide is a key material that supports the development of electric cars, clean energy and national defense industry because of its outstanding comprehensive advantages in physical properties, such as wider band gap. In this paper, the application and technological progress of wire saw slicing in silicon carbide wafer processing are reviewed. In addition, the influence of wire saw slicing on the surface quality and damage of silicon carbide crystal is analyzed. Finally, this paper points out the challenges and future development directions of wire saw slicing technology.