ST Microelectronics is another big client of ACLS (see posts regarding Texas Instruments)
Memories push Samsung, STMicro, and Hyundai higher on top 10 list
Once again, memories are stirring up the rankings of the top 10 global chip makers.
While the ranking of the four leading chip makers was unchanged from last year, three of the biggest producers did move up in the first half of this year, according to IC Insights. Fast-growing memory sales gave a big boost to Samsung Electronics, STMicroelectronics, and Hyundai Electronics, just as they did memory makers during the last DRAM boom.
Growing DRAM revenues helped South Korea's Samsung and Hyundai to move up in the rankings, while sales of flash memory and analog and mixed-signal ICs pushed Europe's STMicroelectronics up a couple of notches on IC Insights' list.
Samsung's chip revenues grew 48% in the first half to $3.9 billion vs. $2.6 billion last year. That jumped the South Korean chip maker from sixth to the fifth place in the top 10. For all of 2000, Samsung's chip sales should reach close to $9 billion, predicts the Scottsdale, Ariz., market researcher.
STMicro jumped from ninth to seventh in the top 10, with chip sales growing 55% to nearly $3.6 billion in the first half from $2.3 billion last year.
Hyundai shot up sixth places, moving from 15th to ninth in the ranking as its chip sales grew 232% to nearly $3.4 billion from $1 billion in the first half of 1999. Much of its impressive growth rate came from its merger last year with LG Semicon, another big DRAM marketer.
At the top of the list, No. 1 Intel grew 17% in the first half to $14.1 billion, No. 2 NEC was up 38% in chip sales to $5.7 billion, No. 3 Toshiba climbed 45% to $5 billion, and No. 4 Texas Instruments went up 26% to $4.7 billion.
Four chip makers fell in the rankings. Motorola dropped from fifth to sixth because its sales grew only 25%, Hitachi slipped from seventh to eighth even though it grew 45% over last year, and Infineon fell from eighth to 10th place even though it grew 36%. And strong gains by the DRAM vendors pushed Philips out of the top 10 to 11th place even though it grew 36% over last year.
Together, the top 10 chip suppliers grew 37% in the first half over last year, IC Insights says, accounting for $51 billion in chip sales vs. $37.3 billion last year.
(See July 28 story.)
semibiznews.com |
