Global semiconductor production is split between the U.S. and Asia and continues to be a source of tensions in foreign policy powerplay.
U.S. tech company Intel holds the biggest semiconductor market share, with around 15.6 percent of global sales being made by the company. According to data from Gartner, Samsung is Intel’s largest competitor within the industry, holding a market share of around 12.5 percent. Another company from South Korea, SK Hynix, wins third place with the somewhat smaller share of 5.6 percent.
If the planned merger of the Californian companies Qualcomm and Broadcom had taken place in 2018, the joint venture would now be the strongest rival of Samsung and Intel with around seven to eight percent. U.S. President at the time, Donald Trump vetoed the deal citing a threat to national security. At that time, Broadcom’s headquarters were still in Singapore, but the company is now based in San José.
With a new administration in the White House, more semiconductor-related upheaval is on the horizon. Disagreement between China and the U.S. is already heightened after frosty exchanges about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and Hong Kong during Thursday’s meeting in Anchorage. However, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board notes that Taiwan might end up being the most contentious issue between the two nations due to its semiconductor industry that is of crucial economic interest to the U.S. The island’s biggest producer is Mediatek, the world’s eighths biggest semiconductor manufacturer.
This chart shows the world’s biggest producers of semiconductors.
