Chipmakers are earning more and more, but TSMC accounts for more than 2/3 of the share

The analytical company Counterpoint Research presented data on the state of the semiconductor market for recent quarters, and the picture turned out to be quite revealing. The chip segment is growing noticeably on the wave of popularity of solutions related to artificial intelligence – the total market volume has increased by almost twenty percent in money terms, which is comparable to the indicators of the post-pandemic recovery. However, the growth is distributed unevenly, and not all players benefit.

TSMC remains the absolute leader. A year ago, the company controlled about two-thirds of the entire market, and its share has continued to grow over time. In absolute figures, the growth looks even more impressive, which strengthens the dominance of the Taiwanese manufacturer.

Samsung retains its position in second place, but its share is gradually decreasing. Experts predict that the decline may continue in the first quarter of 2026. A certain chance for the company may be the transition to using its own processors in the upcoming Galaxy S26 line, which will allow at least to maintain the current level.

The third position is occupied by the Chinese SMIC, loaded with orders from Huawei – both for new Kirin mobile processors and solutions for servers with artificial intelligence support. Despite this, the company’s share has also decreased slightly. Without mastering modern technological processes, its capabilities are limited, and so far SMIC remains a manufacturer of mainly outdated solutions. Despite large-scale state investments in expanding production, analysts are in no hurry to make optimistic forecasts.

Intel has long since dropped out of the top five manufacturers. Previously, the company produced not only processors, but also memory, as well as its own graphics solutions of the Arc line. Now new generations of Intel processors are produced at TSMC factories.

The forecast for the coming year looks quite obvious: interest in artificial intelligence will only grow, and the escalation of trade conflicts is unlikely to slow down this process. Thanks to the advanced 3-nm process technology, TSMC will continue to increase its influence and increase its market share.

AMD’s former division – GlobalFoundries – has slipped from a confident third place to fifth position in a short time. The company’s future looks uncertain, as its technologies are already two generations behind TSMC’s solutions. To understand the situation, it is enough to note that even the Chinese SMIC is now producing more modern chips.