Gartner has announced new rankings of the world's top-10 IC vendors based on 2010 revenues. Intel held the number one vendor position for the 19th consecutive year, but grabbed a slightly smaller share of the market. Second-ranked Samsung Electronics' share, however, climbed to an estimated 9.4%, from 7.9% in 2009.
Intel saw strong growth in the first half of 2010, as the PC market stocked up inventory in anticipation of a strong second half of the year, according to Gartner. But growth in the third quarter weakened as consumer sentiment began to flag. Sales of mini-notebooks, a segment for which Intel is almost the exclusive supplier, were particularly disappointing, said Gartner.
Samsung enjoyed a strong growth year thanks to its exposure to the booming DRAM and NAND flash markets, Gartner indicated. The company's 2010 sales are estimated at US$28.26 billion, up 59.8% on year. The growth will outperform the industry average in 2010, Gartner said.
In addition, a new entrant to the top-10 was Renesas Electronics, at number five following the merger of NEC Electronics and Renesas Technology, according to Gartner. Also in the top-10, Micron Technology rose five places to number eight, largely as a result of its acquisition of Numonyx.
Gartner reiterated its estimate that worldwide semiconductor revenues are set to reach US$300.3 billion in 2010, up 31.5% from 2009.
"In 2010, the semiconductor market was driven by pent-up demand as system makers scrambled against depleted inventories to obtain parts," said Stephan Ohr, semiconductor research director at Gartner. "Manufacturers, both IDMs and foundries, scrambled to put new capacity in place. With slowing demand and a weakening consumer confidence in the third quarter, lead times are coming down and inventories are slowly starting to build. Still, semiconductor vendors are working on fulfilling backlog orders, and 2010 will go on record as a banner year for the semiconductor industry."