Global semiconductor supply turmoil… Korea and Taiwan attracting attention from all over the world

[아시아경제 우수연 기자]Recently, as the global semiconductor supply and demand crisis has intensified, the dominance of the semiconductor industry in Korea and Taiwan is being refocused around the world. As the global dependence on the semiconductors produced by the two countries intensifies, voices of supply chain reorganization, centered on the US, are also emerging.

On the 4th, Bloomberg focused on the influence of the semiconductor market in both countries by reporting an article titled’The semiconductor power of Korea and Taiwan shakes the US and China’.

Bloomberg explained that the industrial importance of semiconductors will further expand as major industries where semiconductors of the 4th industrial revolution are essential, such as 5G mobile communication, artificial intelligence (AI), and autonomous driving, develop. It also said that the global economy’s dependence on Korea and Taiwan has been confirmed as the automobile production lines of major global companies have been stopped due to the recent semiconductor supply and demand crisis.

According to a report published last September by the Bossing Consulting Group and the American Semiconductor Industry Association, Taiwan and Korea ranked first and second in the world’s semiconductor production capacity at 21.7% and 20.9%, respectively. China accounted for 14.7% and the United States at only 11.6%.

Market share based on global DRAM market sales in the fourth quarter of 2020/Data = Trend Force

In particular, in the memory semiconductor field, the share of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix exceeded 70%. According to the market research firm Trend Force, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix’s share of sales in the global DRAM market in the fourth quarter of last year reached 71.6%.

Samsung Electronics recorded sales of $7.4 billion, an increase of 3.1% from the previous quarter, accounting for 42.1% of the market, while SK Hynix recorded a market share of 29.5% to $5.22 billion, a 5.6% increase.

Although Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix’s DRAM average selling price (ASP) fell compared to the previous year, the increase in bit-based shipments offset the decrease in sales due to the price drop. Taiwan’s Micron, the third largest in the industry, lost 2% of its market share compared to the previous year due to a power outage at the end of last year.

Reporter Woo Woo Yeom [email protected]