Top 5 Semiconductor Manufacturing Countries in the World

2. Republic of China (ROC)

Number of Operational and Planned Fabs December 4, 2022: 77

While the Republic of China (ROC), or Taiwan, is not recognized as a country, and its legal nature is still up for debate, it is one of the most important regions in the world. Taiwan is home to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM), which is the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer both in terms of market capitalization (as of December 4th, 2022) and output. TSMC is often referred to by the Taiwanese as the ‘sacred mountain’ as the firm’s importance in global trade lends Taiwan a unique security advantage (and disadvantages as well).

Taiwan is home to some of the most advanced chipmaking facilities in the world, including the brand new 3-nanometer fabs that just entered production in the latter half of 2022.