Apple has surpassed Hewlett-Packard (HP) to become the largest buyer of semiconductors among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for the first time ever, according to a study by research firm IHS iSuppli.
Growing popularity of iPad and iPhone, which need large quantities of NAND flash memory, has resulted in higher procurement of chips, says iSuppli.
Others on the list after Apple and HP are Samsung, Dell, Nokia, Sony, Cisco, Panasonic, LG and Toshiba. Apple is ahead of other countries in the list for this year as well.
New data from iSuppli found that last year, Apple bought $17.5bn worth of semiconductors, a 79.6% increase from $9.7bn in 2009. The jump was the highest among the world’s Top 10 OEM semiconductor buyers, allowing Apple to rise up two positions to take the No. 1 rank in 2010.
In 2009, Apple was the third-largest semiconductor purchaser, behind HP and Samsung. In 2008, it was in the sixth position.
Analyst for IHS Wenlie Ye said, "Apple’s surge to leadership in semiconductor spending in 2010 was driven by the overwhelming success of its wireless products, namely the iPhone and the iPad."
"These products consume enormous quantities of NAND flash memory, which is also found in the Apple iPod. Because of this, Apple in 2010 was the world’s No. 1 purchaser of NAND flash."
The research firm also expects Apple to continue increasing its semiconductor spending "during the coming years at an above-average pace."
In 2011 Apple’s semiconductor spending is expected to exceed that of Hewlett-Packard by $7.5bn, up from $2.4bn in 2010.
iSuppli also said that in contrast to the positive outlook for mobile devices, global PC shipments grew a relatively weak 14.2% in 2010.
