Early last year, small makers of memory chips tumbled into the red and, by year end, industry leader Samsung was also unprofitable.

去年年初，小型存储芯片制造商出现亏损，到年底的时候，业界领先者三星电子也无利可图。

youdao

Though Samsung, for example, is a world leader in televisions and flash memory chips, it continues relentlessly to measure itself against its competitors.

举例来说，尽管三星在电视机和闪存芯片方面是世界领先者，该公司仍坚持不懈衡量自身和竞争者之间的力量对比。

youdao

This also means Samsung is less likely to face supply constraints for chips and other smartphone components that could impact handset production.

这就意味着三星可以不受芯片及其他智能手机部件供应而影响生产。

youdao

The leaders are companies like Apple (chips and systems), Samsung (chips and systems), Google (operating system), Qualcomm (chips), ARM (chip designs), TSMC (foundry), and Globalfoundries (foundry).

FORBES: Globalfoundries Pirouettes Around The Process Node Problem

Still, Yun is hardly weaning Samsung off chips, so profits will continue to be volatile.

FORBES: Look out, Sony

The most menacing of these is that posed by archrival Samsung, whose windfall profits from sales of memory chips and huge internal demand for advanced logic chips for Samsung-brand electronics products like smart phones give it sizeable advantages in the form of both financial firepower and in-house vertical integration.

FORBES: 2013 Looks Like A Banner Year For TSMC But Threats Are On The Horizon