DRAM firms, AMD stand out among top chip suppliers

November 9, 2006 – Despite some growth spikes at individual companies (notably AMD, Qimonda, and Hynix), the rankings for the top chip suppliers in 2006 will be largely unchanged, according to analyst firm IC Insights Inc.

Intel, Samsung, and Texas Instruments remain a fixture atop the list as usual, although the gap between top-ranked Intel and rival Samsung has significantly narrowed — in 2005 Intel’s chip sales were about 50% more than Samsung ($17.56 billion), but that buffer is seen shrinking to about 38% ($12.11 billion) in 2006. ST and Toshiba are still fighting for the #4 and #5 spots, separated by less than 1% of revenues ($100 million). Ironically, Infineon and its former memory unit Qimonda are neck-and neck for the 14th spot (together they would be ranked as high as fourth on the list).

The average year-on-year sales growth for the top 10 suppliers is only around 6% (8% including suppliers #11-#15), but individual results vary widely. Only two companies are expected to post slower sales this year (Intel -11%, Renesas -1%), while three companies are forecast to enjoy >30% sales boost — Qimonda (43%) and Hynix (32%), thanks to a 26% surge this year in the DRAM market, and AMD (35%), which has gained microprocessor share from Intel. Still, only TSMC, AMD, and Qimonda are expected to move up in the rankings. Notably, without Intel’s lackluster performance, the average growth for the rest of the top 14 suppliers would jump to 14%.

2006 Top 15 worldwide semiconductor supplier ranking

(Sales in US $M)

Company………………1H06……2H06 (f)……2006 (f)……2005……2006/2005 % change

Intel……………………15,255……16,325…………31,580…………35,395…………-11%
Samsung………………8946……10,529…………19,475…………17,838…………9%
TI…………………………..6765………7105…………13,870…………11,300…………23%
Toshiba…………………4471……..5559………….10,030……………9045…………11%
ST…………………………4854………5076……………9930…………….8870…………12%
TSMC*…………………..4911……..4804……………9715…………….8217…………18%
Renesas………………..4046……..4124……………8170…………….8266…………-1%
Hynix……………………..3157……..4218……………7375…………….5599…………32%
NXP……………………….2999……..3366……………6365…………….5598…………14%
Freescale………………3000……..3080……………6080…………….5598…………9%

TOTAL Top 10……58,404……64,186…………122,590…………115,726…………6%

NEC………………………2767……..2958…………..5725……………..5593…………2%
Micron……………………2574……..2936…………..5510……………..4954…………11%
AMD………………………2548……..2772…………..5320……………..3936…………35%
Infineon**………………2477……..2578…………..5055……………..4802…………5%
Qimonda***…………..2345……..2660…………..5005……………..3495…………43%

TOTAL Top 15……71,115……78,090…………149,205…………138,506…………8%

*Pure-play foundry
**Not including Qimonda
***Spin-off from Infineon

Source: IC Insights

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