Samsung dethrones Intel to become 2021's semiconductor industry king

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c (Image credit: Qualcomm)

Updated January 20, 2022: This piece has been updated to reflect a correction made by Gartner which wrongly listed 5G smartphone sales data in dollar amounts rather than unit sales.

What you need to know

  • Worldwide semiconductor revenue increased by 25.1% in 2021, reaching a total of $83.5 billion.
  • 2021 was the first year that global semiconductor revenue passed $500 billion.
  • For the first time since 2018, Samsung Electronics earned the top spot among vendors in terms of semiconductor revenue.

Semiconductor growth increased 25.1% in 2021, according to preliminary results by Gartner. That rise saw the semiconductor industry reach a total of $583.5 billion, which is the first time annual revenue has crossed $500 billion within a year. The increase occured despite the ongoing global chip shortage.

Growth in the semiconductor market occurred across several segments, and particularly grew in the automotive industry, according to Andrew Norwood, research vice president at Gartner. "As the global economy bounced back in 2021, shortages appeared throughout the semiconductor supply chain, particularly in the automotive industry," said Norwood. "The resulting combination of strong demand as well as logistics and raw material price increases drove semiconductors' average selling price higher (ASP), contributing to overall revenue growth in 2021."

5G smartphone sales also drove semiconductor revenue in 2021. While unit production was 250 million in 2020, it spiked to 555 million in 2021.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
2021 Rank2020 RankVendor2021 Revenue (millions)2021 Market Share (%)2020 Revenue (millions)2020-2021 Growth (%)
12Samsung Electronics75,95013.057,72931.6
21Intel73,10012.572,7590.5
33SK Hynix36,3266.225,85440.5
44Micron Technology28,4494.922,03729.1
55Qualcomm26,8564.617,63252.3
66Broadcom18,7493.215,75419.0
78MediaTek17,4523.010,98858.8
87Texas Instruments16,9022.913,61924.1
910NVIDIA16,2562.810,64352.7
1014AMD15,8932.79,66564.4
--Others (outside top 10)257,54444.1209,55722.9
--Total semiconductor583,477100.0466,23725.1

The top-ten semiconductor vendors stayed largely the same across 2020 to 2021, though there were some notable changes within the top of the rankings. For the first time since 2018, Samsung Electronics passed Intel and earned the top spot.

Memory was the highest-performing segment. Its revenue increased $42.1 billion compared to 2020. The revenue from memory accounted for 33.8% of all semiconductor revenue growth in 2021.

CATEGORIES
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_. 

Read more
Surface Laptop 7
Have Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon turned a corner? Qualcomm saw a massive surge in this specific PC market.
Intel research and development office in Matam business park in Haifa.
Intel stock soars almost 25% in one week after JD Vance' new comments on the chip maker's AI future, as the US and UK refuse to sign the Paris AI summit's regulation decree
A DeepSeek artificial intelligence logo and icons on various smartphones or laptops.
DeepSeek's ultra-cost-effective AI causes NVIDIA to suffer the largest single day market loss in history — almost $600 billion wiped off the company
The badge for the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X platform.
Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X shakes up the $600 Windows laptop market, brings AI to everyone — Here's why Intel should be worried
Lenovo Legion Go S and ASUS Zenbook A14 with 'Best of CES 2025' award logo for Windows Central
Windows Central's Best of CES 2025 awards: The hottest hardware unveiled in Las Vegas
Xbox start logo
Xbox Q2 FY25 gaming revenue is down 7% year-over-year, but Xbox Game Pass still grew
Latest in Microsoft
Cloud servers
Microsoft has killed "several" data center projects in the U.S. and Europe, according to reports — Microsoft responds (Updated)
Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates, former CEOs of Microsoft.
Bill Gates says Satya Nadella almost missed the cut for CEO of Microsoft — Even with Steve Ballmer's support
HP Reverb G2 VR headset
Was Windows Mixed Reality as bad as I remember? I look back at the failed VR platform that was ahead of its time.
Microsoft Majorana 1 chip designed for quantum computing
Microsoft dismisses quantum computing skepticism: "There is a century-old scientific process established by the American Physical Society for resolving disputes"
The Microsoft logo on a smartphone and laptop arranged in Crockett, California, US, on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023.
"Would you say there is a reasonable balance between what you contribute to Microsoft and what you get in return?" Two-thirds of Microsoft employees say YES — as AI engineers get preferential compensation packages.
Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii screenshot
Microsoft blocks (some) Windows 11 pirates while Lenovo steals the show at Mobile World Congress
Latest in News
Cloud servers
Microsoft has killed "several" data center projects in the U.S. and Europe, according to reports — Microsoft responds (Updated)
Photo of Microsoft's new sign-in page for Xbox.com using the Microsoft Edge browser.
Over one billion users will get a new Microsoft user experience, and it has a dark mode
The Thing: Remastered key art
The Thing comes to Xbox Cloud Gaming's "Stream Your Own Game" library alongside other new arrivals
Promotional screenshot of heroes fighting a giant in Pillars of Eternity
Obsidian's classic Baldur's Gate successor 'Pillars of Eternity' is getting a surprise turn-based mode later this year, alongside other updates
Atomfall
Atomfall reviews and Metacritic scores are in: Here's a roundup of what everyone's saying about this new Game Pass survival game
Screenshot of one of the new flat world presets in Minecraft.
Minecraft testing new flat world presets and a better way to locate your friends in-game