Dylan McGrath, EETimes
12/21/2010 7:20 PM EST
SAN FRANCISCO—A record number of "fabless" semiconductor companies are expected to top $1 billion in sales in 2010, according to IC Insights Inc., though the market research firm defines the term to include companies that maintain fabs but get most of their finished wafers from foundries.
Thirteen chip companies that are fabless or mostly fabless are expected to top $1 billion in sales in 2010, up from 10 companies in 2009 and eight in 2008, according to IC Insights.
IC Insights counts any company as a fabless company if it receives the majority of its finished wafer supply from IC foundries. In this way it differs from the traditionally accepted definition of the term. Avago Technologies, for example, is ranked 10th on IC Insights' fabless company ranking, though the company maintains fabs in Colorado, Singapore and Malaysia.