SK Hynix Surpasses Intel to Rank Third in Global Semiconductor Sales

SK Hynix has surpassed the U.S. semiconductor company Intel to become the third-largest company in global semiconductor market sales, driven by strong sales of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and general-purpose DRAM.

Yonhap News Agency

According to market research firm Gartner on January 13, SK Hynix recorded sales of $60.64 billion (KRW 8.94197 trillion) last year, marking a 37.2% increase from the previous year.

This growth is largely attributed to increased demand for HBM from major big tech companies amid the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI).

Additionally, expanded sales of general-purpose DRAM, which benefited from rising prices, also played a significant role.

As a result, SK Hynix, which ranked fourth in global semiconductor market sales in 2024, moved up one spot to third place with a market share of 7.6%. During this period, Intel, which previously held third place, fell to fourth.

Nvidia became the first company in the semiconductor industry to surpass $100 billion in annual sales.

Nvidia, which ranked first in sales last year with a market share of 15.8%, posted $125.703 billion (KRW 18.53697 trillion), up 63.9% from the previous year.

Samsung Electronics maintained its second-place position with $72.544 billion (KRW 10.69588 trillion) in sales last year, accounting for a 9.1% market share.

Gartner analyzed, "Samsung Electronics' total semiconductor sales reached $73 billion, with memory sales increasing by 13% year-on-year, but sales in non-memory sectors such as foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) decreased by 8%."

During the same period, Intel struggled in the AI semiconductor market, with sales declining by 3.9%. It was the only company among the top 10 semiconductor firms to experience a drop in sales. Its market share fell to 6%, nearly half the level of 2021.

Meanwhile, global semiconductor sales last year reached $793.4 billion (KRW 1,169.5509 trillion), up 21% from the previous year.

Gartner stated, "Last year, HBM accounted for 23% of the DRAM market and surpassed $30 billion in sales, while AI processor sales exceeded $200 billion," adding, "AI semiconductors are expected to account for more than 50% of total semiconductor sales by 2029."