The global semiconductor industry set a new quarterly sales record... in the first three months of 2018.
South Korea's two chip giants, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix... played a big role in the record-setting quarter.
Kan Hyeong-woo reports.

Samsung Electronics overtook Intel to become the world's biggest semiconductor provider, a position that the silicon valley giant had held for 25 years.

According to a report from market research firm IC Insights, ... Samsung's sales topped 19-billion U.S. dollars in the first three months of 2018... a 43-percent on-year increase.
SK hynix meanwhile, sold over 8-billion US dollars worth of semiconductors in the first quarter-- up 49-percent from a year earlier, coming in at fourth on the list of the world's biggest chipmakers.

A report from Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International showed, that global silicon wafer shipments climbed above 3-billion square inches for the first time in the first quarter of 2018.
Silicon wafers are used for semiconductor manufacturing, and the record shipments indicate a rise in future chip production.

However, growth in the semiconductor market could take a hit due to growing competition from China, with the Beijing government promoting heavy investments in the country's homegrown manufacturing industry.

"I think the current upward trend will keep up at least until the end of the year. But as China announced that it's going to start producing its own semiconductors near the end of the year, the market price could be affected by how Chinese semiconductors impact the overall supply."

China's decision to invest more in the semiconductor industry followed the 'Made in China 2025' plan announced in October 2015... a roadmap for the future of the country's manufactoring sector.

Kan Hyeong-woo, Arirang News