Apple Ranked No.1 in Global Semiconductor Purchases Last Year... Samsung Electronics Ranked 2nd

Increased Demand for Laptops and Tablets Due to Remote Work
Apple and Samsung Boost Purchase Volume by Over 20%... Top 10 Companies Up by 10%+

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Apple secured the top spot as the world's largest semiconductor purchasing company for the second consecutive year last year, driven by increased demand for mobile devices, PCs, and tablet PCs due to the expansion of remote work amid COVID-19. Samsung Electronics ranked second, while Huawei maintained third place despite a significant reduction in purchase volume caused by the US-China trade war.

According to data released on the 9th (local time) by market research firm Gartner, Apple's semiconductor purchase volume last year was $53.6 billion (approximately 59.7 trillion KRW), a 24% increase compared to the previous year. Apple's share of the total semiconductor market was 11.9%, ranking first. Samsung Electronics recorded an 8.1% market share, placing second. Its purchase volume was $36.4 billion, a 20.4% increase from the previous year.

Apple's semiconductor purchase volume grew due to the continued success of AirPods last year, increased demand for Mac computers and iPads influenced by remote work, and higher NAND flash consumption. Samsung Electronics saw an increase in semiconductor purchases as competition with Huawei somewhat weakened and demand for enterprise solid-state drives (SSD) for data centers grew.

Despite the impact of the US-China trade war, Huawei maintained third place with a 4.2% market share. However, Huawei's semiconductor purchase volume last year was $19.086 billion, a 23.5% decrease compared to the previous year. The US government expanded trade restrictions on Huawei last year, making semiconductor purchases difficult and leading to a reduced market share.

The total semiconductor purchase volume of the top 10 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) increased by 10% compared to the previous year, and their overall market share rose from 40.9% in 2019 to 42% last year. The top 10 companies remained the same as in 2019.

The semiconductor consumption of the top OEMs last year was influenced by COVID-19 and the US-China trade conflict. Masatsune Yamaji, a Gartner researcher, explained, "The pandemic weakened demand for 5G smartphones and affected equipment production, but it increased demand for mobile devices, PCs, and video games, and expanded investment in cloud data centers. Additionally, rising memory prices resulted in increased OEM semiconductor consumption."

Among the top 10 companies, Xiaomi showed the largest increase in semiconductor purchase volume. Last year, Xiaomi purchased semiconductors worth $8.79 billion, a 26% increase compared to the previous year. This growth was attributed to increased demand for consumer Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as smart TVs and wearable and smart devices, which boosted semiconductor consumption.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.