Report: Samsung could beat Intel and become world's biggest chipmaker in Q2

Intel has been the biggest chipmaker in the world since 1993. According to a report by IC Insights, the company won’t remain its position for much longer. Things are expected to change in the second quarter of the year when Samsung will take the number one spot away from its rival.

In the April-June period, Samsung’s chip manufacturing unit is expected to post sales of $14.6 billion, which is a 4.1 percent increase when compared with the same period a year ago. Intel, on the other hand, will reportedly post sales of $14.4 billion. This means that Samsung will officially become the biggest chipmaker in the world, while Intel will be bumped down to second place.

Samsung’s great financial performance is a result of growing prices for DRAM and NAND flash chips, which are expected to rise by 39 and 25 percent this year. This means it’s quite possible that the South Korean company could post higher full-year semiconductor sales than Intel as well.

Business hasn’t been great for Samsung’s mobile business last year, mainly because of the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, but the chip unit compensated with soaring results. This year, things are turning for the better across the board. The tech giant has posted its best Q1 results ever and is now on track to take the world’s largest chipmaker title away from Intel, which held it for the past 24 years.