Samsung succeeds Intel as top chipmaker by revenue

Samsung Electronics took over the top spot in the global semiconductor market by revenue in the third quarter for memory chip sales, replacing Intel which had been the top chipmaker for 11 straight quarters.

Intel dropped to number two behind Samsung as the memory segment, where Samsung is the number one DRAM and NAND supplier with the largest growth area for semiconductor in the three months ended in September.

DRAM, or dynamic random-access memory, is a type of volatile semiconductor memory that retains data as long as power is supplied. It is commonly used in personal computers, workstations and servers. NAND flash is a type of non-volatile storage that does not require power to store data.

In the DRAM sector, Samsung's market share rose to 43.9 per cent from 43.2 percent in the second quarter, while SK hynix took up 27.6 per cent, down 0.6 percentage point, and Micron stayed put at 22.7 per cent.

According to reports, memory chip revenue grew 12 percent from the previous quarter, as demand for the chips used in applications and infrastructure for remote working and virtual learning has contributed to the growth and the segment made up 29 percent of all semiconductor revenue.