The semiconductor industry is the aggregate collection of companies engaged in the design and fabrication of semiconductor devices. It formed around 1960, once the fabrication of semiconductors became a viable business. It has since grown to be a $335.2 billion industry in 2015.
Industry structure
The global semiconductor industry is dominated by USA, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China and European Union.
Unique features of the industry include continuous growth but in a cyclical pattern with high volatility. While the current 20 year annual average growth of the semiconductor industry is on the order of 13%, this has been accompanied by equally above-average market volatility, which can lead to significant if not dramatic cyclical swings. This has required the need for high degrees of flexibility and innovation in order to constantly adjust to the rapid pace of change in the market as many products embedding semiconductor devices often have a very short life cycle.
At the same time, the rate of constant price-performance improvement in the semiconductor industry is staggering. As a consequence, changes in the semiconductor market not only occur extremely rapidly but also anticipate changes in industries evolving at a slower pace. The semiconductor industry is widely recognized as a key driver and technology enabler for the whole electronics value chain.
Largest companies
The following are the 10 largest semiconductor companies as ranked in January 2016 by Gartner based on 2015 revenue.
- Intel
- Samsung Electronics
- SK Hynix
- Qualcomm
- Micron Technology
- Texas Instruments
- Toshiba
- Broadcom
- STMicroelectronics
- Infineon Technologies
See also
- Semiconductor device fabrication
- Electronic design automation
- Semiconductor consolidation
- List of semiconductor fabrication plants
References
