Samsung Increases Lead over Chip Rival Intel

Samsung maintained its lead in the global semiconductor market in the second quarter of this year, widening its gap with Intel.

The Korean electronics giant overtook its U.S. rival last year to become the world's top semiconductor maker.

Market researcher Omdia said Sunday that Samsung took up a 12.8-percent share of the global semiconductor market in the second quarter, compared to Intel's 9.8 percent. In the previous quarter, Samsung's share was 12.5 percent and Intel's 11.1 percent.

Despite falling demand for semiconductors amid a global economic downturn, Samsung fared well thanks to strong server and foundry chip business.

But Intel suffered losses due to a slowdown in demand for PCs and disruptions in the supply chain.

SK Hynix ranked third with a 6.8-percent share, followed by Qualcomm (5.9 percent) and Micron (5.2 percent).

Intel was overtaken by Samsung for the first time in 2017 but regained the top spot in 2019 and 2020. It was eclipsed by Samsung again last year, however, due to strong demand for memory chips.