March 30, 2026 -
By Kim Eun-jin, Business Korea
TSMC Captured 70% of the Global Market Last Year, Widening the Gap with Samsung
Forecasts suggest that foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) revenue could exceed $169.5 billion this year, driven by the expansion of in-house chip development by global Big Tech and artificial intelligence (AI) startups. Taiwan’s TSMC, the undisputed leader in the foundry sector, reportedly captured 70% of the global foundry market last year, further widening its gap with second-place Samsung Electronics.
According to market research firm TrendForce on March 20, the total annual revenue of the top 10 companies in the global foundry market last year amounted to $169.5 billion. This figure represents a 26.3% increase from the previous year, an all-time high for the industry. TrendForce explained, “Due to factors such as supply shortages of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) for AI servers and Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), demand for advanced processes remained strong in the fourth quarter of last year,” adding, “Additionally, new smartphone launches increased wafer orders for mobile Application Processors (APs), supporting stable shipment performance.”