As lucrative customers continue to place heaps of chip orders with TSMC for its cutting-edge nodes and the company’s ability to deliver newer-generation architecture without so much as facing yield difficulties, Samsung is undoubtedly going to be on the receiving end of its rival’s growth. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the Taiwanese semiconductor giant cemented its position as the top foundry in the world, as its market share rose to new heights in the latest quarter. As for Samsung, it is left picking up the crumbs, with its share dropping to single-digit levels.
In Q4 2024, TSMC’s revenue surged to $26.85 billion, while Samsung’s earnings dipped; the Korean giant’s market share for the quarter is currently at 8.1 percent
Data shared by research firm TrendForce that was spotted by The Chosun Daily states that TSMC’s Q4 2024 market share was 67.1 percent, up 2.4 percentage points compared to the previous quarter. Unfortunately, Samsung could not witness any progress during this period, as its market share dropped from 9.1 percent to 8.1 percent. This creates a disparity of 59 percentage points, with the gap widening further compared to the third quarter of 2024, where it was 55.6 percentage points.
TSMC continues to enjoy its success as it has been able to meet demand for a multitude of applications. This includes AI servers, top-end smartphone SoCs, and newer PC platforms, all of which encouraged an increase in wafer shipments. As for Samsung, even though it has made progress with its 2nm GAA node by achieving a 30 percent yield during the trial production phase, its revenue experienced a slump because orders for its advanced manufacturing processes could not offset the losses caused by a decline in orders from key customers.
For instance, Qualcomm is once again said to exclusively place orders with TSMC, this time leveraging its third-generation 3nm ‘N3P’ technology for its upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2. As for revenue, the Taiwanese behemoth generated $26.85 billion in Q4 2024, resulting in a 14.1 percent increase. Sadly, Samsung only made $3.26 billion during the same period, dropping by 1.4 percent. In third place, we have SMIC, China’s largest semiconductor firm, which is attempting to overtake Samsung, but unless it has access to ‘state of the art’ EUV machinery, its progress can only go so far.
