Semiconductors will rescue both Sony and Samsung from the decline of their smartphone businesses in the year ahead. The Korean giant has announced preliminary third quarter results which indicate a surprisingly robust turnaround, driven primarily by chips, while Sony is to hive off its semiconductor business into a separate company from next year, to allow it to grow unburdened by need to prop up mobile devices and TVs. Sony’s predicament in smartphones is far worse than that of Samsung, which remains the world’s largest handset vendor even if its market lead, and its profits, are being severely squeezed by the rise of Chinese competition and by slowdown in demand for high end models. But Sony may exit the game altogether…