10 Biggest Semiconductor Companies

The modern economy runs on semiconductors. The tiny electronic circuits, named for the electrical properties of the material from which they're made, are the brains for millions of devices, including space vehicles, car computers, smartphones, medical equipment, appliances, and more. As applications proliferate, semiconductor manufacturers continue to prosper.

These companies compete in producing smaller, cheaper, and faster chips for increasingly powerful and affordable technology products. Semiconductors can be divided into four main categories: microprocessors, memory chips, commodity integrated circuits, and complex "systems on a chip."

The numerous chipmakers range from household names with global reach to smaller suppliers little known outside their specialized market niche. Their chips are an essential input for manufacturers of technology hardware and industrial equipment. The semiconductor industry and chipmakers' stocks tend to be highly cyclical. Still, many investors view the sector as important given its secular growth trend and major role in the development of new technology.

Below are the 10 top semiconductor companies based on their 12-month trailing (TTM) revenue. This list includes suppliers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Some foreign companies may report semiannually, resulting in longer lag times for their financials. All data was as of Feb. 14, 2024.

#1 Samsung (005390.KS)

• Revenue (TTM): $50.6 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $4.1 billion
• Market Cap: $370.5 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 18.9%
• Exchange: Korean Exchange

A well-known name in the consumer electronics industry, Samsung (005390.KS) is involved in much more than devices for everyday use. It manufactures business appliances and solutions, health and medical equipment, consumer appliances, robotics, and much more.

#2 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSM)

• Revenue (TTM): $19.9 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $7.5 billion
• Market Cap: $542.6 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 32.3%
• Exchange: New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM) is the world's largest semiconductor foundry, the industry term for contract manufacturing of semiconductors on behalf of customers. Pure-play foundries manufacture integrated circuits on behalf of clients. Many semiconductor companies outsource the manufacturing of their chips to Taiwan Semi.

#3 NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA)

• Revenue (TTM): $18.1 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $9.5 billion
• Market Cap: $1.8 trillion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 218.1%
• Exchange: Nasdaq

Nvidia (NVDA) is a leading developer of graphics processors for personal computers and enterprise servers. These graphics processing units, or GPUs, provide high-end performance sought by computer gamers and those who work with computer-aided design.

#4 Intel Corp. (INTC)

• Revenue (TTM): $14.2 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $297 billion
• Market Cap: $185.9 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 53.6%
• Exchange: Nasdaq

Intel primarily develops processors for the personal computer (PC) and enterprise server markets. Its Client Computing Group segment supplies PC processors, and the Data Center Group segment that serves enterprise customers, including cloud services providers, is its largest division. The remainder consists of internet-of-things (IoT) solutions for retail, industrial, and healthcare markets; memory and storage products; autonomous driving technology; and programmable semiconductors.

The company also produces motherboard chipsets, network interface controllers, and integrated circuits.

#5 Broadcom Inc. (AVGO)

• Revenue (TTM): $9.3 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $3.5 billion
• Market Cap: $584.8 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 107.7%
• Exchange: Nasdaq

Broadcom supplies digital and analog semiconductors as well as software for networking, telecom, and data center markets. It provides interfaces for computers' Bluetooth connectivity, routers, switches, processors, and fiber optics.

#6 Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM)

• Revenue (TTM): $8.6 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $1.5 billion
• Market Cap: $170.4 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 15.6%
• Exchange: Nasdaq

Qualcomm is a global semiconductor and telecommunications company that designs and markets wireless communications products and services. Telecommunications companies worldwide use Qualcomm's patented CDMA (code division multiple access) technology, which has played an integral role in the development of wireless communications. Its Snapdragon chipsets are found in many mobile devices.

#7 SK Hynix (000660.KS)

• Revenue (TTM): $6.8 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $1.6 billion
• Market Cap: $81.3 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 62.2%
• Exchange: Korean Exchange

One of the largest memory chip makers in the world, Hynix chips are used by many companies to manufacture various end products that require memory. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in South Korea. Nearly two-thirds of its revenues are generated from the sale of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and one-third from NAND Flash sales.

#8 Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)

• Revenue (TTM): $6.7 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $2 billion
• Market Cap: $154.3 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 56.5%
• Exchange: Nasdaq

Applied Materials is a leading supplier of capital equipment used to manufacture semiconductors and liquid crystal display (LCD) screens. The company's technology is used to produce high-quality silicon wafers and to deposit microscopic circuitry on their surfaces.

#9 ASML (ASML)

• Revenue (TTM): $6.7 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $1.9 billion
• Market Cap: $373.04 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 35.9%
• Exchange: Nasdaq

Based in the Netherlands, ASML (ASML) is a leading supplier of advanced lithography systems used by chip manufacturers to add circuitry to silicon wafers. Its machines help chip makers use costly wafers as efficiently as possible and improve the performance of their chips.

#10 Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)

• Revenue (TTM): $5.8 billion
• Net Income (TTM): $299 million
• Market Cap: $2.9 billion
• 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 106.3%
• Exchange: Nasdaq

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) manufactures computer processing units (CPUs) and graphic processing units (GPUs) for computers, consumer electronics, automobiles, and servers. It is Intel's most direct competitor and has been battling the tech giant for market share since the 1960s.