Samsung faces bumpy road ahead to becoming system chip leader
Goal of becoming No. 1 foundry player appears elusiveBy Baek Byung-yeulThree years have passed since Samsung Electronics ambitiously declared that it will become the global leader in system semiconductors by 2030, but the chip giant is still suffering from sluggish growth in the sector that includes processing chips and the foundry business, according to industry analysts.They say Samsung's growth potential, especially in the foundry business that manufactures chips for fabless customers, lags behind its biggest rival TSMC in terms of production capacity. As a result, its global market share remains unchanged since 2019, unable to catch up with the Taiwanese competitor.Analysts stress that Samsung needs to make sizable corporate acquisitions in order to make a breakthrough. But the company's leadership vacancy, in which Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is currently unavailable to return to his post due to legal issues, makes it that much more difficult for the chip giant to take necessary steps.The United States has tightened restrictions on exports of technology to China, which prompted a
