Semiconductor foundries market share worldwide 2020-2022, by country

In 2022, it is expected that Taiwan alone will account for 66 percent of revenues generated by the global semiconductor foundry market, with most of this coming from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Taiwan is also home to United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), another major global semiconductor foundry.

Semiconductor foundries

A foundry is a company that manufactures chips in a fabrication plant (fab), with the market leader TSMC contracted to complete this task for a variety of customers. 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.

Tech companies semiconductor expenditure

Spending on semiconductors by tech companies saw an increase in 2021 as compared to the previous year. Apple remained the number one semiconductor chip buyer during that year, with Apple’s expenditure on semiconductors increasing significantly over the last decade. Samsung ranked second in terms of semiconductor spend. The two companies are way ahead of other notable firms such as Huawei, Lenovo, and Dell.