South Korean chipmaker Samsung Electronics Co. retained the No. 2 spot in the world's semiconductor market for the second consecutive year in 2013, bridging the gap with market leader Intel Corp., industry data showed Sunday.

   According to the data by industry tracker IHS iSuppli, Samsung's chip sales rose 8.2 percent on-year to $33.82 billion last year, with its global market share rising to 10.6 percent from 10.3 percent.

   In contrast, market leader Intel's shipments fell 0.9 percent on-year to $46.98 billion last year, and its market share dropped to 14.8 percent from 15.6 percent.

   IHS iSuppli said the narrowed gap resulted from a surge in Samsung's sales of chips for smartphones such as mobile DRAM, driven by the expanding smartphone market, with sales of Intel's chips, mainly for personal computers (PCs), stagnating due to the PC market slump.

   Another South Korean chipmaker SK hynix Inc. recorded sales of $12.81 billion last year, up 42.8 percent from a year earlier, with its global market share rising to 4 percent from 3 percent.

   The global chip market came to $318.15 billion last year, up 5 percent from the previous year.

   In the memory chip market, Samsung retained its top status last year, with sales jumping 15.7 percent on-year to $21.67 billion.

But its market share fell to 33.1 percent from 35.4 percent.

   Micron Technology Inc. ranked second with a market share of 21.6 percent last year, followed by SK hynix with 19.1 percent, according to the data. (Yonhap)