Gartner expects to surpass 300 billion for the first time in history since breaking the 300 billion mark in 2010
Global semiconductor sales projected to grow 16.8% year-on-year this year

Global semiconductor sales are expected to surpass $400 billion for the first time in history in 2017.

Gartner projected that global semiconductor sales in 2017 would reach $401.4 billion, a 16.8% increase from the previous year. Semiconductor sales surpassed $300 billion in 2010 and exceeded $200 billion ten years earlier in 2000.

The reason semiconductor sales are soaring is largely due to the impact of rising memory prices. Andrew Norwood, Executive Vice President of Research at Gartner, explained, “The memory shortage has triggered a boom in the overall semiconductor market. As memory manufacturers raised D-RAM and NAND prices, their revenue and profits increased.”

The boom in the memory market, with sales expected to grow by 52% this year, is projected to impact semiconductor market share rankings. Vice President Andrew stated, “Samsung Electronics, the largest memory supplier, appears poised to be the biggest beneficiary.” "Samsung Electronics could overtake Intel and aim for the world's number one spot for the first time in history," he said.

Intel has maintained its position as the world's strongest since surpassing NEC in 1992 to claim the top spot in semiconductor market share, and Samsung Electronics has never dropped from second place since rising to second in 2002.

Despite Samsung's strong performance, Vice President Andrew predicted that factors of instability still exist. “The memory market takes back as much as you invest. As memory vendors increase new supplies, the memory market bubble is expected to burst in 2019. Samsung will lose a significant portion of the profits it would have earned this year and next,” he forecasted.