Top semiconductor IDM, fabless, and foundry companies worldwide 2020-2021, by quarter

In the third quarter of 2021, the South Korean firm Samsung remained in first place ahead of U.S. based company Intel as the market leader regarding global semiconductor sales. The company recorded a sales volume of about 22.32 billion U.S. dollars. Intel generated 18.79 billion U.S. dollars from the sale of semiconductors during the third quarter of 2021. Samsung's third quarter semiconductor sales have increased by 10 percent compared to the previous quarter of 2021.

IDM vs fabless vs foundry

Semiconductor companies can be largely categorized into three different types: integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), fabless companies, and foundry companies. IDMs are companies that are responsible for all semiconductor manufacturing processes from design to production. Fabless companies produce their own designs for semiconductors but do not own any production facilities. The actual production or fabrication of semiconductors is outsourced to foundry companies.

Samsung’s home market

The South Korean semiconductor industry’s main advantage lies in the production of memory semiconductors. Revenue from sales of NAND flash memory chips demonstrate how competitive Samsung and SK Hynix are on a global scale. Both companies also operate in the production of other types of memory semiconductors, notably having a strong presence in the DRAM market as well.