Samsung Electronics Returns to No. 1 Spot in Semiconductor Sales

Samsung Electronics surpassed Intel to rank first in the semiconductor industry in terms of sales in the third quarter of 2021.

Samsung Electronics’ sales in the third quarter of 2021 amounted to US$20,958 million, overtaking Intel’s sales of US$18,786 million during the same period, said market research firm Omdia on Dec. 10.

While Samsung Electronics’ sales increased 13.0 percent from the previous quarter (US$18,550 million), Intel saw its sales drop 1.8 percent from the second quarter (US$19,132 million).

It marked the first time in 11 quarters that Intel stepped down from the top spot in Omdia’s surveys. Samsung Electronics first surpassed Intel in the second quarter of 2017, but Intel regained the top spot in the fourth quarter of 2018 and Samsung Electronics turned the tide again this time.

SK Hynix ranked third in the standings with sales of US$9,976 million, up 10.8 percent from the previous quarter.