Worldwide semiconductor revenues will register year-over-year growth of 3.4% in 2011 and 3.1% in 2012 to reach revenues of $296bn and $305bn respectively, according to IDC’s Semiconductor Application Forecaster (SAF) report.

It reveals that revenues will register growth despite the continuing global macroeconomic problems, the huge semiconductor inventory notwithstanding in the early part of this year and the current DRAM glut.

IDC research manager semiconductors Mali Venkatesan said the 2011 year-end update reaffirms the views IDC expressed in its qualitative SAF update published in November 2011. "We expect the semiconductor market to bottom by the second quarter of next year and growth to resume for the market and accelerate in the second half of 2012," said Venkatesan, who oversaw the study.

IDC said semiconductor revenues for the computing industry segment, which represents about 37% of all semiconductor revenues, will register YoY and CAGR (2011-2016) growth rates of 0.8% and 4.2%, respectively. Semiconductor revenues for mobile PCs, within that, will register YoY (2012) and CAGR (2011-2016) growth rates of 6.2% and 11.4%.

Semiconductor revenues for the communications industry segment are expected grow by 5.5% in 2012 with a CAGR (2011-2016) of 5.2%.

For 4G phones, they will show YoY (2012) and CAGR (2011-2016) growth rates of 400% and 98%, respectively.

As media tablets, e-Readers, HD receivers, and LED/LCD TV sets will see strong demand in 2012 traditional devices such as DVD players, DVD recorders and fixed game consoles will continue to see unit sales erosion. But, semiconductor revenues for the consumer industry segment will record YoY (2012) and CAGR (2010-2016) growth rates of 3.6% and 3.7%, respectively.

This sector revenues for the automotive segment and industrial segment, which includes energy, medical, industrial automation, military and aero, are expected to show growth rates YoY (2012) and CAGR (2011-2016) of 3.4% and 6.7%, respectively.

Under semiconductor devices, ASSP revenues for media/audio/graphics will show a CAGR (2011-2016) of 9.2%; but DRAM revenues will decline due to continued pricing pressure with a CAGR (2011-2016) of 1.7%, after a negative growth if 16% in 2012.

Regionally, Asia/Pacific will continue to grow its share of semiconductor revenues and will comprise for 42% of the total revenues in 2016.