AI Chip Demand Pushes Top 10 Foundries to Record $53.49 Billion in Q2 2026

The semiconductor foundry market set another quarterly record in Q2 2026, according to TrendForce. Combined revenue for the world’s 10 largest foundries reached nearly $53.49 billion, up 11.5% quarter over quarter. The result points to a market increasingly shaped by demand for AI servers, custom AI processors, and leading-edge manufacturing capacity. 1

The key takeaway: growth was broad, but TSMC remained in a league of its own

TSMC generated nearly $40.2 billion in foundry revenue during the quarter, a 12.1% sequential increase. Its market share rose to 72.5%, meaning it accounted for well over two-thirds of revenue among the top 10 foundries. 1

TrendForce attributed TSMC’s performance to strong demand for AI-server GPUs and XPUs, which kept its 3 nm and 5/4 nm capacity fully utilized. Early inventory preparation for new iPhones and initial revenue from 2 nm production also supported wafer shipments and average selling prices. 1

That combination matters because it illustrates TSMC’s exposure to several high-value chip cycles at once: AI infrastructure, smartphone launches, and the transition to newer process nodes.

Samsung stayed second, but lost market-share ground

Samsung Foundry reported approximately $3.26 billion in Q2 revenue, up 1.8% from the prior quarter. Its market share, however, fell to 5.9% as competitors grew faster. 1

Samsung therefore retained the No. 2 position in TrendForce’s ranking, but the gap with TSMC widened. The quarter’s results show how absolute revenue growth can still translate into relative share loss when the market leader and other rivals are expanding more quickly. 1

SMIC took third place and narrowed the gap with Samsung

SMIC’s revenue rose about 20% quarter over quarter and 36% year over year to roughly $3.0 billion, giving it a 5.4% market share and moving it into third place. 1

The result left SMIC much closer to Samsung than before. TrendForce linked SMIC’s growth to advance stocking in consumer supply chains, particularly PCs and notebooks, as well as steady orders for AI-related peripheral ICs and server-networking products. 1

UMC and GlobalFoundries also grew

The gains were not limited to the three largest companies. UMC posted approximately $2.18 billion in revenue, up 12.7% sequentially, while GlobalFoundries reported about $1.79 billion, up 9.3%. 1

Their performance reinforces the broader nature of the quarter’s recovery: demand was strongest at the advanced end of the market, but foundry growth extended beyond the largest leading-edge producer.

What TrendForce expects next

TrendForce expects foundry momentum to continue as flagship smartphone shipments rise and next-generation AI and high-performance-computing products ramp. The firm forecasts that global foundry revenue will grow 24.8% for full-year 2026 to approximately $218.8 billion. 1

The Q2 ranking ultimately reveals a two-part story. AI demand is expanding the overall foundry market, but it is also concentrating value in the manufacturers able to serve advanced-node workloads at scale. TSMC’s 72.5% share underscores that concentration, while SMIC’s faster growth shows that the contest for the next positions remains active. 1