Intel tops the world’s semiconductor manufacturer list for the first quarter of 2019, according to market research firm IC Insights. Though Samsung ranked number one in 2017 and 2018, the decline of DRAM and NAND flash markets have reversed its ranking.
IC Insights released top-15 worldwide semiconductor sales ranking for Q1 2019. As stated earlier, the Q1, 2019 had the worst downfall of the worldwide semiconductor sales. In total, the top-15 semiconductor companies’ sales dropped by 16% in 1Q19 compared to 1Q18. Thirteen of the top-15 companies had sales of at least $2.0 billion in 1Q19, one company less than in 1Q18. As shown, it took over $1.7 billion in quarterly sales just to make it into the 1Q19 top-15 semiconductor supplier list.
The Big 3 memory suppliers—Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, each registered year-over-year revenue declines of at least 26% in 1Q19 after each company posted greater than 40% year-over-year growth one year earlier in 1Q18.
The top-15 list also had two new entries, HiSilicon and Sony. As shown, China-based fabless IC supplier HiSilicon jumped up 11 spots in the ranking to 14th place on the back of a 41% surge in year-over-year sales in 1Q19. Sony also posted a solid year-over-year sales increase of 14% in 1Q19 driven by its primary product line of image sensors.