compound semiconductor news digest
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Gartner says top ten OEMs accounted for $77.3
“Electronic equipment manufacturers made
huge efforts to adjust their production and
Billion of semiconductors - 28 Jan, 2010
inventory in the first half of 2009 in order to
deal with the economic downturn that set in
at the end of 2008. Semiconductor demand
Top ten OEMs accounted for one-third of sharply in 2009. Samsung accounted for has been gradually recovering since the
semiconductor vendors’ worldwide chip the second-largest demand for second half of 2009, when the inventory
revenue in 2009. Worldwide semiconductor semiconductors in 2009 and is the most adjustment was almost completed, but the
device revenue reached $226 billion in successful vertically integrated pace of recovery differs by market
2009, down 11.4 per cent from 2008, manufacturer, while Nokia ranked third, after segment.”
according to preliminary estimates by losing business worldwide, especially in the
Gartner, Inc. Even in severe market US. Apple and Acer were the only Gartner’s preliminary results reveal that
conditions, leading-brand electronic electronic equipment manufacturers among semiconductor demand for PCs has shown
equipment and design manufacturers the top ten companies to increase their a firm recovery, as mini-notebook PCs have
remained at the centre of the semiconductor semiconductor demand in 2009. Apple sold well not just in emerging countries, but
world, accounting for $77.3 billion of grew against the background of the demand also in developed countries. DRAM pricing
semiconductors on a design total available trend shifting from hardware-oriented to also stabilised in the latter half of 2009, and
market (TAM) basis in 2009. service-oriented markets to become one of the new operating system (OS), Windows 7,
the most successful market players and one also drove market demand. However,
“The supply chains of the electronics of the most attractive customers for chip semiconductor demand for mobile handsets
industry have become more complicated, vendors in PC, mobile handset and saw large declines, especially for enhanced
and, thus, the importance of original design consumer markets, in terms of growth phones, while the demand for smartphones
manufacturer (ODM) businesses has risen,” potential. grew. The semiconductor demand for
said Masatsune Yamaji, senior research smartphones, which had accounted for 19.8
analyst at Gartner. “As such, the top ten Acer succeeded not just in increasing its per cent of the demand for total mobile
branded OEM/ODM companies accounted shipments of mini-notebook PCs, but also in handsets in 2008, grew to 28.6 per cent in
for a third of all semiconductor demand in gaining market share in the desktop PC and 2009. “Though the importance of ODM
2009, as they did in 2008.” mobile PC markets. Gartner analysts said business has been increasing for the past
consumer demand is shifting from high ten years, the leading brand companies are
HP remained the leading OEM worldwide performance to portability and affordability, still the most important customers for
for semiconductor consumption in 2009. It and this trend accelerated Acer’s growth in semiconductor device vendors,” Mr Yamaji
succeeded in gaining market share in all the 2009. As a result, Acer increased its said. “Semiconductor vendors should pay
PC market segments such as desktop PCs, semiconductor demand and was ranked much more attention to the leading
mobile PCs and mini-notebook PCs. HP ninth in 2009, up from 11th in 2008. electronic equipment manufacturers and
also maintained a strong position in printer, their customers, who are catching up with
server and storage markets, though the total “Overall, results are better than could have the market trends and who will survive in the
market size of servers and storage shrunk been predicted a year ago,” said Mr Yamaji. future.”
IMEC announce all optical chip - 28 Jan, 2010
Major step towards low-power all-optical switching for optical Researchers from imec and Ghent University in Belgium realized
communications. The January issue of the premier scientific extremely fast and small optical random access memories with
magazine Nature Photonics publishes an ultra-small and fast, record low power consumption. This discovery paves the way to do
electrically pumped all-optical memory on a silicon chip with record the switching in optical fibre networks or optical interconnect
low power consumption. This result achieved by imec and its systems completely optically and to no longer rely on optoelectronic
associated laboratory INTEC at the Ghent University, paves the way conversions.
for optical packet switching with drastically reduced overall power
consumption in high-speed, high-data rate optical The optical random access memory has been achieved with ultra-
telecommunication systems. compact micro-disk lasers with a diameter of 7.5µm. The laser light
can either propagate in the clockwise or counter clockwise direction
Fibre-optic communication systems have revolutionized the and one can switch between these two laser modes using short
telecommunications industry and play a crucial role in today’s optical pulses. The lasers, implemented themselves in Indium
information age where long-distance and high-data rate Phosphide membranes, are heterogeneously integrated onto
communication is indispensable. While the transportation of the data passive silicon waveguide circuits. This allows to optically
bits between different points in such networks normally makes use interconnect different memory cells using silicon wires. It also allows
of light pulses, it is quite a different story for the switching and using the strongly developed silicon-based microelectronics
routing of the data at the network nodes. Due to the absence of fabrication technology, making it a cost-effective solution.
good optical random access memories, up to now, the data needed
to be converted from the optical to the electrical domain and These results were achieved in collaboration with TU Eindhoven and
electronic switches with microelectronic processors were needed. INL (Institute for Nanotechnology in Lyon) in the framework of the
However, with the ever increasing amount of data the power European FP7 projects HISTORIC and WADIMOS coordinated
consumption of such optoelectronic switches increases dramatically. by imec- INTEC.
January/February 2010 www.compoundsemiconductor.net 9
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