Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) share of the global foundry market rose to almost 70 percent last year amid booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI), market information advisory firm TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said on Thursday.
The contract chipmaker posted US$122.54 billion in revenue, up 36.1 percent from a year earlier, accounting for 69.9 percent of the global market, TrendForce said.
Its share was up from 64.4 percent in 2024, it said.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA
TSMC’s closest rival, Samsung Electronics, was a distant second, posting US$12.63 billion in sales, down 3.9 percent from a year earlier, for a 7.2 percent share of the global market.
In the fourth quarter of last year alone, TSMC’s share of the global foundry market was 70.4 percent, down from 71.0 percent in the third quarter, although its sales rose 2 percent from a quarter earlier to US$33.72 billion.
Although TSMC’s shipments in the October-to-December period fell slightly from a quarter earlier, strong demand for its 3-nanometer process pushed average selling prices higher, boosting revenue, TrendForce said.
The global foundry market’s 10 largest firms generated US$169.47 billion in combined sales last year, up 26.3 percent from a year earlier.
China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯) ranked third with US$9.33 billion in sales, or a 5.32 percent market share, ahead of Taiwan’s United Microelectronics Corp (聯電) with US$7.63 billion, or 4.35 percent, and US-based GlobalFoundries with US$6.79 billion, or 3.87 percent.
Huahong Group (華虹) of China was sixth with US$4.50 billion (2.6 percent).
Rounding out the top 10 were: Israel’s Tower Semiconductor Ltd (US$1.57 billion, 0.89 percent), Taiwan’s Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp (世界先進, US$1.56 billion, 0.89 percent), China’s NexChip Co (合晶集成, US$1.51 billion, 0.86 percent), and Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電, US$1.40 billion, 0.80 percent).
After several years flying high as Asia’s best Nvidia Corp proxy, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is increasingly vying with other artificial intelligence (AI) stocks for investor attention. Stock traders are chasing a wider array of beneficiaries as mainstream usage of AI creates demand for hardware beyond the most-advanced chips TSMC makes for Nvidia. Subthemes from the deepening memory crunch to advances in robotics are also luring bids. At the same time, investment caps on single stocks are pushing funds to diversify, while retail investors long familiar with TSMC through its US depositary receipts are being offered a broader set of
UNDER MICROSCOPE: Taiwan detained three people who allegedly conspired to buy servers in Taiwan and export them using fraudulent documentation, prosecutors said Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday urged Super Micro Computer Inc to tighten up on compliance after Taiwan detained three people this week for allegedly making fraudulent declarations about artificial intelligence (AI) servers made by its US partner. The development marked the nation’s first crackdown on semiconductor smuggling, which grew after the US slapped restrictions on exports of high-end chips such as Nvidia AI accelerators to China. Nvidia is “rigorous” in explaining regulations to all of its partners, Huang told reporters after arriving in Taipei. “Ultimately Super Micro has to run their own company,” he said in response to
TECH RELIANCE: Growth is increasingly reflecting an unequal K-shaped distribution, where technology sectors outperform and other industries struggle, an expert said Standard Chartered Bank has significantly raised its forecast for Taiwan’s economic growth to 9.5 percent this year, up from 7.6 percent previously, citing surging artificial intelligence (AI) demand driving exports, semiconductor production and investment. The upgrade reflects a sustained AI supercycle that continues to fuel demand for advanced chips and technology infrastructure, which form the backbone of Taiwan’s exports, the bank said in a report this week. “We raise our 2026 growth forecast to reflect a much stronger-than-expected first-quarter GDP figure,” Standard Chartered senior economist for greater China and Asia Tommy Wu (胡東安) said in the report. Driven largely by a 35.3 percent
Two of Taiwan’s international carriers, Starlux Airlines Co (星宇航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空), have retained the five-star airline rating awarded by international airline review organization Skytrax. Starlux was awarded the distinction for a second consecutive year, while EVA Air received it for the 11th straight year, Skytrax said in statements released yesterday and on Thursday last week, respectively. The five-star rating is considered one of the airline industry's highest honors and is awarded following professional audits of airline product and frontline service standards, Skytrax said. The ratings are based on in-depth assessments using unified global quality standards rather than customer review scores
RSS