The semiconductor foundry market was valued at USD 127.79 billion the previous year and is expected to register a CAGR of 7.67%, reaching USD 184.94 billion by the next five years. Technology inflections such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) are driving up the long-term demand for the chip industry. For instance, AI is creating new opportunities for the semiconductor industry as many AI applications rely on hardware as a core enabler of innovation, especially for logic and memory functions. The demand for chips related to the rapidly growing use of AI is expected to contribute significantly to the industry's overall growth.
Owing to the consolidated nature of the market, foundries in the industry are competing intensely to gain access to fabless vendor deals to expand their presence and market share further. In addition, these players are increasingly investing in increasing their production capabilities.
The levels of market penetration for the existing top 5 vendors, TSMC, Samsung Electronics, UMC, GlobalFoundries, and SMIC, are significantly high, and these vendors are competing to gain a higher market share each year. In recent times, 5G and IoT have emerged as some of the significant drivers for units to be produced, and this is expected to be a strategic focus for foundries over the coming years. The level of innovation, time-to-market, and performance are the key terms by which the players differentiate themselves in the market. With growing consolidation, technological advancement, and geopolitical scenarios, the market studied is witnessing fluctuations.
In December 2022, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) announced that it would more than triple its planned investment in Arizona, United States, to USD 40 billion from a previously announced USD 12 billion. The Arizona plants would produce 3-nm and 4-nm chips used for iPhone processors.
In December 2022, Samsung Electronics Ltd. announced plans to step up chip production capacity at its largest semiconductor fabrication plant in South Korea in 2023.
In October 2022, US Senator Patrick Leahy and GlobalFoundries announced the award of USD 30 million in federal funding to advance the development and production of next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon semiconductors at GF's Fab facility in Essex Junction, Vermont. The USD 30 million federal funding will enable GF to purchase tools and extend the development and implementation of 200 mm GaN wafer manufacturing in making chips for high-power applications, including electric vehicles, industrial motors, and energy applications.
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