Gartner: Samsung Overtook Apple As The Top Worldwide Semiconductor Customers

Posted on Jan 24 2013 - 1:09pm by Editorial Staff

According to Gartner’s latest report, Samsung and Apple both dominated semiconductor demand in 2012, but it’s interesting to note that the South-Korean giant has overtook the Cupertino-based Apple as the top worldwide semiconductor customers. As per the design total available market (TAM), both the giants has consumed $45.3 billion of semiconductor in 2012, an increase of $7.9 billion from 2011, to represent 15 percent of total semiconductor demand, while on the other end the total semiconductor market decreased by 3 percent overall. Noting on interesting facts, the top ten companies demanded $106.4 billion of semiconductors in 2012, accounting for 36 percent of total semiconductor vendor’s worldwide revenue of $297.6 billion while among the top ten companies, Nokia’s semiconductor demand contracted the most.

Top 10 Semiconductor Design TAM by Company, Worldwide 2012, Preliminary (Billions of Dollars)

Top 10 Semiconductor Design TAM by Company, Worldwide 2012, Preliminary (Billions of Dollars)

Here is what Masatsune Yamaji, principal research analyst at Gartner says about it:

Although Samsung and Apple continue to go from strength to strength, other leading electronic equipment makers fared less well, and six of the top 10 reduced their demand in 2012,” said Masatsune Yamaji, principal research analyst at Gartner. “In addition to a weak macroeconomic situation, a dramatic change in consumer demand contributed to a reduction in semiconductor demand in 2012. The PC market still represented the largest sector for chip demand, but desktop and mobile PCs did not sell well, as consumers’ interest shifted to new mobile computing devices like smartphones and media tablets. This shift caused a substantial decrease in semiconductor demand in 2012, as the semiconductor content of a smartphone or a media tablet is far less than that of a PC.

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