Taiwan’s integrated circuit sector output topped NT$1.17 trillion (US$34.8 billion) in 2015, up 6.2 percent from 12 months before for a record high, according to the ROC Ministry of Economic Affairs Jan. 25.
“Despite challenging conditions at home and abroad in the second half of 2014, Taiwan’s IC sector continued to thrive on its superior process know-how,” an MOEA official said.
The latest MOEA statistics revealed that dedicated IC foundries contributed 85.06 percent, or NT$995.3 billion, of sector output—also a record high and up 9.7 percent from 2014. This is followed by dynamic random-access memory at NT$136.5 billion, down 12.6 percent year on year, and other IC manufacturing at NT$38.3 billion, 0.8 percent lower for the same period.
According to U.S.–based technology research firm Gartner Inc., global contract IC manufacturing service industry revenues totaled US$46.85 billion in 2014, up 16.11 percent from a year earlier.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. was the sector’s clear leader, with its US$25.18 billion in revenues comprising 53.7 percent of overall output. It was followed by United Microelectronics Corp., also based in Hsinchu City, at 9.9 percent and Silicon Valley-headquartered GlobalFoundries Inc. at 9.4 percent.
Collectively, Taiwan firms accounted for 67 percent of the global market, up from 64 percent from the previous year.
