The global semiconductor market is predicted to decline 2% this year as some of the top 20 suppliers prepare for wide-ranging growth rates at the close of 2012.
A new report from IC Insights predicts double-digit growth for some of the world’s top 20 semiconductor suppliers in 2012, good news considering that the global semiconductor market is expected to decline. The report points to a 30% surge at fabless supplier Qualcomm, a 17% increase at TSMC, and a 31% gain for pure-play foundry GlobalFoundries. On the down side are companies such as AMD and Freescale, which are expected to see sales declines of 17% and 14% respectively.
The report also predicts strong growth among foundries this year, with three foundries on the Top 20 list expected to yield a 16% increase in 2012/2011 sales.
“With the continued success of the fabless companies as well as the strong movement by many IDMs (Integrated Device Manufacturers like TI, Renesas, ST, etc.) to the fab-lite business model, IC Insights expects the IC foundries to witness very strong demand for their services over the next few years,” the report said.
IC Insights expects the Top 20 semiconductor suppliers to see a 1% sales decline overall in 2012, about $3.2 billion.
