In the fourth quarter of 2024, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) recorded a market share of **** percent in the global semiconductor foundry market, while Samsung occupied *** percent of the market. In terms of revenue, the top ten semiconductor foundries worldwide generated ***** billion U.S. dollars in the fourth quarter of 2024. The semiconductor manufacturing process is complex The semiconductor supply chain can be categorized into roughly three distinct stages: design, fabrication, and assembly. Companies that perform all three of these steps are referred to as integrated device manufacturers, with examples including Intel and Samsung. Firms that only design chips, known as fabless companies, rely on chip manufacturers, or foundries, for fabrication. A reliance on semiconductor foundries Fabless companies work closely with the foundries, companies that manufacture chips in fabrication plants, with the market leader TSMC contracted by various companies. Founded in 1987, TSMC decided not to manufacture any products under its name so that the company never engages in direct competition with its customers. Under this strategy, TSMC became the world’s largest semiconductor foundry and a key supplier for large tech companies.

In 2023, semiconductor orders in the Asia-Pacific region generated a total revenue of nearly *** billion U.S. dollars. This represented a decrease from almost *** billion dollars of annual revenue generated in 2022. The silicon age Due to the systematic nature of how trends like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things are impacting countless sectors and changing our daily lives, they are often referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution or simply Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0's infrastructure is largely based on semiconductors and therefore inherently reliant on them. Reflective of this reliance, the semiconductor market revenue worldwide has grown steadily over the last four decades. While the demand for semiconductors has been increasing virtually everywhere, the capacity to physically manufacture them is largely concentrated in Asia. Taiwan was estimated to account for more than two-thirds of the semiconductor foundries market share worldwide as of 2024. Leading companies The leading semiconductor companies by market revenue worldwide in 2023 were Intel and Samsung, which are integrated device manufacturers, meaning they design and manufacture their products themselves. But many other fabless companies, such as Qualcomm or Nvidia, outsource their production to foundries. The global semiconductor foundry market is central to the semiconductor industry, and it is dominated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). TSMC produces the world’s most advanced semiconductors and accounted for more than ** percent of the semiconductor foundries revenue share globally as of Q3, 2024.

In 2024, Samsung was the leading semiconductor vendor with ***** billion U.S. dollars in revenue, with Intel ranking second among vendors after generating ***** billion U.S. dollars in revenue. Reaping the rewards from the strength of its AI business, Nvidia came in at third in 2024, generating ***** billion U.S. dollars in revenue through the year. Semiconductor companies Some of the biggest companies within the semiconductor industry include integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) like Samsung, Intel, and SK Hynix. Other notable firms within the global semiconductor industry include fabless companies like Nvidia and Qualcomm, the likes of which work closely with foundries such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) — the world's largest foundry — that manufactures chips in its fabrication plants. Semiconductor market opportunities Smartphones have long represented an important market for the semiconductor industry, especially as these devices become more advanced and able to support technologies such as XR, 5G, and AI. Servers and data centers have also become an even more important opportunity, with semiconductor innovation required to support cloud data centers and the rise in AI and edge computing applications, developments that have been supported by the development of AI chips. Industrial and automotive applications are also expected to experience increased demand: as manufacturing facilities and vehicles become smarter and ever more connected, the requirement for more advanced semiconductor technology to fulfill these tasks grows.

As of June 2, 2025, Nvidia ranked as the leading semiconductor company in terms of market capitalization at just under 3.3 trillion U.S. dollars, followed by the likes of Broadcom, TSMC, ASML, and Samsung. Many of the leading semiconductor stocks suffered as a result of trade tariff announcements in 2025. Nonetheless, the mix of companies featured on the list reflects the broad and complex nature of the semiconductor industry, with firms coming from across all parts of the chip ecosystem. Regional highlights The global semiconductor industry is dominated by companies from North America and the Asia-Pacific region. As a result, China, South Korea, and Taiwan rank as some of the biggest regional markets for semiconductor equipment spending. One of the world’s leading chip-making machine manufacturers, and a global leader in producing extreme ultraviolet lithography, or EUV, machines, is ASML based in Europe. ASML supplies its machines to the likes of TSMC, who are then contracted to manufacture chips for Nvidia. A dynamic industry In 2025, the semiconductor industry is expected to grow strongly, with forecasts suggesting the market could rise to just below 700 billion U.S. dollars. Nonetheless, companies across the whole supply chain must continue to navigate a challenging and changing world. Geopolitical tensions, such as the ongoing tech competition between the United States and China, as well as the growth of the AI chip market, will have a profound influence on the semiconductor industry moving forward.