Peter Clarke, EETimes
(07/05/2010 7:21 AM EDT)
LONDON — The "actual" global market for chips was $24.02 billion in May, as calculated from the three-month average of $24.65 billion given out by the European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA) on Monday (July 5).
The record figures were ahead of the predictions made by analysts despite the fact that they display below-average month-on-month growth and look set to push predictions of annual growth for 2010 yet higher into the mid-30s of percentage points. All of this is must be tempered with the possibility that semiconductor sales may be supply constrained in the second half of the year and that if that should happen a usual consequence would be rising average selling prices. Bruce Diesen, senior analyst with Carnegie Group (Oslo, Norway) predicted on June 24 that the three-month average of global chip sales for May would be called at $24.5 billion.