According to reports, the research company TrendForce released a report today that with the intensification of the global semiconductor shortage, the revenue of the world's top 10 chip manufacturers in the first quarter of this year also hit a record high.

The report shows that in the first quarter of 2021, the combined revenue of the world's top 10 chip manufacturing companies reached 22.75 billion U.S. dollars, a record high. The move comes at a time when global chips are in short supply, and this shortage is expected to continue until 2023.

TrendForce analysts said: "Due to the soaring demand for various terminal equipment, manufacturers have been increasing the procurement of parts. Therefore, since 2020, the foundry capacity has been in a state of shortage. At the same time, the foundry is also increasing. The price of wafers has been adjusted and the product mix has been adjusted to ensure profitability."

TrendForce report shows that in the first quarter of this year, about 57% of global chip foundry revenue came from one manufacturer, TSMC. In the first quarter, TSMC’s revenue reached US$12.9 billion, a year-on-year increase of 2%.

In contrast, South Korean chip giant Samsung's foundry revenue fell 2% to 4.1 billion US dollars in the first quarter. This is partly because the abnormal winter storm in Texas in February caused a power outage in Austin, forcing a Samsung factory in the state to temporarily stop producing chips.

In addition, UMC's revenue in the first quarter increased by 5% from the previous quarter to US$1.6 billion, and SMIC's revenue increased by 15% to US$1.1 billion.

TrendForce predicts that as chip wafer prices continue to rise and chip demand continues to be strong, the revenue of chip foundries will further increase. For this reason, in the second quarter of this year, the combined revenue of the world's top 10 chip manufacturers will "set a record high again," which will increase by 1% to 3% from the previous quarter.