Key success factors in the semiconductor industry: Comparative analysis of the US, European and Chinese semiconductor industries

Details

Supervisors

Defraigne, Jean-Christophe ; Lejeune, Christophe

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en ingénieur de gestion

Abstract

In 2019, the global semiconductor industry represented US$412.1 bn of sales (SIA, 2020a) and was dominated by a few firms located in different leading countries in the sector such as the United States, South Korea, Japan, and the European Union (Statista, 2020g). Through a comparative analysis of the US, European, and Chinese semiconductor industries, this research highlights key characteristics that are relevant to the development of semiconductor companies in their market. After having summarized several features of the three different semiconductor industries, four characteristics can be pointed out: the level of investments made from semiconductor companies, the protection tools provided by national or regional governments and institutions to their companies, the access to the Chinese semiconductor market and the level of cooperation and coordination of economic units. Taking into account this comparative analysis and the current environments in which semiconductor companies evolve, recommendations to improve the semiconductor markets of the three economic entities are provided.