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By Mel Duvall
The worldwide semiconductor market suffered through one of its worst periods on record in 2009, says research firm Gartner, but it appears the market is poised for a healthy comeback in 2010.
Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner says the worldwide semiconductor market saw a 10.5 percent drop in revenue in 2009, to $228.4 billion, or $26.8 billion less than the industry recorded in 2008. Gartner says this was the first time the semiconductor industry has seen two consecutive years of revenue declines. However, it also says the picture could have been worse.
"After an unprecedented decline in the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, sequentially quarterly revenue growth for the industry overall was very strong in the last three quarters of 2009," Gartner principal analyst Peter Middleton said in a statement. "As a result, 2009 performance was much milder than initially feared in the aftermath of the financial crisis."
Gartner added that the industry is set for strong growth in 2010 "against weak comparables."
Intel held onto the number-one position in the market for the 18th consecutive year. It increased its market share to 14.6 percent in 2009 from 13.6 percent in 2008, despite experiencing a revenue decline of $1.6 billion. Its gain in market share was primarily due to the relative strength of the PC market, and laptop and notebook computers in particular.
Samsung Electronics was one of the few companies to see a revenue increase in 2009. This was primarily due to the fact that its main product lines, DRAM and NAND flash, had already experienced strong declines in 2008, causing vendors to react by adjusting supply. This in turn forced up pricing through the year. Hynix Semiconductor, which strong in the DRAM market as well, also saw revenue growth as a result of the same market conditions.
Gartner said Infineon experienced the greatest revenue decline, with its business down 43.1 percent on the year. This was primarily due to the bankruptcy of its Qimonda memory business and the divestiture of its Wireline Communications unit. When those two businesses are removed from the equation, Infineon saw a 16.1 percent overall decline, which was in line with its peers.
Here is a ranking of the top semiconductor manufacturers with 2009 revenues and market shares:
1. Intel - $33.3 billion, 14.5 percent market share
2. Samsung Electronics - $17.7 billion, 7.7 percent
3. Toshiba - $9.6 billion, 4.2 percent
4. Texas Instruments - $9.1 billion, 4 percent
5. STMicroelectronics - $8.5 billion, 3.7 percent
6. Qualcomm - $6.4 billion, 2.8 percent
7. Hynix Semiconductor - $6 billion, 2.5 percent
8. Renesas Technology - $5.7 billion, 2.5 percent
9. Advanced Micro Devices - $5.2 billion, 2.3 percent
10. Infineon Technologies - $4.7 billion, 2.1 percent
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