US-headquartered companies held 52% of the total worldwide IC market in 2018, followed by their fellow South Korea-based companies with a 27% share, according to IC Insights.

Taiwan-based companies held 6% of total IC sales last year, IC Insights indicated. Japan- and Europe-based companies occupied 7% and 6%, respectively, of the 2018 IC market. Meanwhile, China-headquartered firms grabbed a smaller 3% share of the market.

South Korea- and Japan-based companies have an extremely weak presence in the fabless IC segment, while Taiwan- and China-based companies registered double-digit shares in the fabless segment but very low shares of the IDM IC segment, IC Insights said. Overall, US companies show the most balance with regard to IDM, fabless, and total IC industry marketshare.

Driven by a surge in DRAM and NAND flash memory IC sales in 2018, South Korea-headquartered companies primarily Samsung and SK Hynix registered a 26% sales increase, outpacing their fellow China-based companies by 3pp last year, IC Insights said. South Korea and China were the only regions/countries to grow faster than the total IC industry (14%) last year.

However, with the memory market expected to show a huge 30% drop in 2019, it is likely that South Korea-based companies will go from "first to worst" regarding IC sales growth by company headquarters location this year as compared to 2018, IC Insights said.

By: DocMemory
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