The global IC design industry experienced significant growth in 2024, with the combined revenue of the top 10 companies reaching approximately $249.8 billion, marking a 49 percent increase.
This surge was largely driven by the expansion of the AI industry, with NVIDIA leading the sector, achieving 125 percent revenue growth and securing its dominance, TrendForce said in its report.
As AI computing power continues to advance, the emergence of open-source models like DeepSeek is expected to lower AI adoption costs, accelerating penetration from servers to personal devices and positioning edge AI devices as a key growth driver in 2025.
The high-end AI chip sector remains capital-intensive, reinforcing market consolidation. The top five IC design companies accounted for over 90 percent of total revenue among the top ten, with NVIDIA dominating at a 50 percent market share and total revenue of $124.3 billion. The strong demand for its H100/H200 GPUs, driven by expanding AI server deployments, solidified its position. Future product launches, including the GB200 and GB300 series, are expected to further drive NVIDIA’s AI-related revenue growth in 2025.
Broadcom also benefited from AI-driven demand, generating $30.64 billion in semiconductor revenue, an 8 percent increase, with AI chips now accounting for over 30 percent of its semiconductor solutions. A mid-year downturn in 2024 was followed by a recovery, with anticipated strong rebounds in wireless communications, broadband, and server storage in 2025.
AMD has secured the fourth spot with a 14 percent revenue increase, reaching $25.79 billion, fueled by a 94 percent surge in server-related revenue. The company expanded its presence in the server and client CPU markets and is expected to focus on AI PCs, servers, and HPC/AI accelerators in 2025. Collaborations with major players such as Dell, Microsoft, and Google will be crucial to maintaining its growth momentum.
Qualcomm and MediaTek rebounded from previous slowdowns in the global smartphone market, with Qualcomm’s QCT division generating $34.86 billion, a 13 percent increase, securing second place.
Qualcomm is expected to shift its focus toward AI PCs and edge computing as legal disputes over ARM licensing have been temporarily resolved, allowing it to expand its presence in the high-end consumer market in 2025.
MediaTek ranked fifth with $16.52 billion in revenue, up 19 percent, driven by strong performance in smartphones, power management ICs, and Smart Edge solutions. Its 5G smartphone penetration is projected to exceed 65 percent in 2025, with an increasing share in the high-end market and a strategic partnership with NVIDIA on Project DIGITS supporting its growth trajectory.
Realtek and Novatek saw shifts in their rankings, with Realtek reclaiming the seventh spot after a 16 percent YoY revenue increase to $3.53 billion. Following an inventory correction in 2023, Realtek saw a rebound in PC and automotive-related shipments in 2024, with networking and automotive businesses expected to be key growth drivers in 2025. Its Wi-Fi 7 market penetration is anticipated to reach double digits.
Will Semiconductor is projected to achieve revenue of $3.048 billion, a 21 percent YoY increase, as it expands its presence in the CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) market. Growth is being driven by increasing high-end CIS shipments in Android phones and the global expansion of electric vehicles, particularly in China, where autonomous driving applications are contributing to sustained revenue increases.
MPS rounded out the top ten with $2.2 billion in revenue, up 21 percent YoY, with its PMICs successfully entering the AI server supply chain, driving exponential growth in its Enterprise Data division.
