The growth rate for the entire semiconductor market is expected to remain only at 2% in 2011, despite most of the top 20 semiconductor suppliers expected to register a 6% increase in 2011 sales as compared to 2010, according to IC Insights forecast.
Qualcomm’s semiconductor sales are expected to register a 33% growth in 2011, driven by a surge in the smartphone sales that is forecast to increase by 73% for 2011.
However, at the same time, Elpida is expected to post a sales decline of 39%.
Intel will continue to be the number one semiconductor supplier, due to its acquisition of Infineon’s wireless IC business, followed by Samsung at the second slot.
Unlike in 2010, the memory companies are not expected to post large sales growth for this year, the research firm says.
Samsung and Toshiba are expected to register growth in 2011 out of the big five memory suppliers in the top 20 ranking, including Hynix, Micron, and Elpida.
The total worldwide semiconductor industry 2011/2010 growth rate of 2% will be outperformed by 11 of the top 20 suppliers, the research said.
