LONDON -- Almost all of the semiconductor industry's top 25 companies not only saw sales declines last year—they also underperformed the overall chip industry for the year, according to researchers at iSuppli (El Segndo, Calif.).
"Many of these suppliers are focused on semiconductor segments that performed poorly during the year, including memory, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), analog ICs and standard logic. This caused 80 percent of the Top-10 and 60 percent of the Top-25 semiconductor suppliers to experience declining revenues compared to 2007," said Dale Ford, senior vice president at the market research group.
iSuppli said total IC sales declined 5.2 percent in 2008 to $258.3 billion, from $272.6 billion the previous year.
Of the leading 25 companies by revenue, those that managed to expand sales were fifth-ranked STMicroelectronics, No.-8 Qualcomm Inc., NEC Electronics Corp., which iSuppli ranked 11th, No 14 Broadcom Corp., No.15 Panasonic Corp., No.18 Sharp Electronics Corp., No.20 Rohm, No. 22 Marvell Technology Group Ltd., No.23 MediaTek Inc. and 24th ranked Fujitsu Microelectronics Ltd.
However, Ford suggests that even amongst the top ten, growth in 2008 was not necessarily all it was cracked up to be -- with only six increasing their sales organically.
"The growth achieved by STMicroelectronics, Rohm and MediaTek in 2008 was enabled or enhanced by major acquisitions during the year, rather than by increasing sales in their existing product lines," said Ford.
The remaining six --Qualcomm, NEC, Panasonic, Sharp, Marvell and Fujitsu -- expanded their revenues by between 1.5 percent and 15.3 percent in 2008 based only on organic growth.
However, for the four Japanese suppliers, NEC, Panasonic, Sharp and Fujitsu Microelectronics, this growth was less about rising sales and more about a significantly more favorable exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar.
RSS
Digital
10 emerging technologies to watch:
EE Times has compiled a list of emerging technologies that we think will be worth watching out for in 2010. Biofeedback or thought-control of electronics are among the contenders.
Hot applications in 2010:
We've compiled a list of 10 technology applications you should watch for in 2010, ranging from e-book readers to 3-D TVs. We examine the features that make these apps so compelling as well unresolved issues.
Top 25 predictions for semis in 2010:
2010 is just beginning to unfold in the electronics industry. Looking into our crystal ball, we have released our own chip forecasts--and other predictions--for 2010.
Seven things to fix in 2010:
The editors of EE Times came up with their own informal list of things we hope engineers fix in 2010, spanning everything from nano-lithography to space travel. What do you want to see get done this year?
'09 moves that are shaping the future:
This was a brutal year, but the industry gets a nod for showing grace under fire. Here's our Top 10 guide to the coming year, illustrating what to expect in 2010.
10 CEOs out in 2009:
It's been a tough year for the global electronics industry and CEOs. We survey the dismissal of 10 industry CEOs during the first three quarters of 2009 and what's ahead for the rest of the year.
Notable women in microelectronics:
There is no better time than a global economic recession to examine the keys to successful corporate governance. So, EE Times has compiled an international list that celebrates women who are business and technology leaders in semis.
EE Times updates Silicon 60:
Seventeen companies have been added to the lastest version of our Silicon 60 list of emerging startups. Forty-three companies survived as emerging companies that are still worth watching.
RSS| 
Digital| 
Mobile
