iSuppli reports that the top five increased semiconductor purchasing by 26.1% last year, and will generate a 24.5% increase this year, followed by a 28.6% rise in 2007. Quanta Computer Inc. led the 2006 rankings with $5.2B in chips purchased, up 17.9% from 2005. At $4.7B, Asustek stepped up chip purchases by 20.1%. The third-ranked Wistron will achieve 89% growth, according to the analyst firm, going from $1.98 to $2.25B.

(October 19, 2006) AUSTIN, TX &#151 Flip chip and wafer-level packaging (WLP) usage is expanding into a broader range of devices, according to TechSearch International’s report, “Flip Chip and WLP: 2006 Market Update and Technology Developments.” The study finds flip chip and WLP growing by 24% from 2005 to 2010, and predicts that flip chip substrate limitations will be resolved by 2007.