Global chip sales may rise 10.1 percent this year, the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics said, increasing its previous estimate on demand for memory chips used in personal computers and consumer electronics.
Chip sales will probably rise to US$250.5 billion this year, after increasing 6.8 percent to US$227.5 billion last year, according to the group, whose members include companies such as Intel Corp that account for about 90 percent of the industry. The San Jose, California-based group in October had predicted 8 percent industry revenue growth this year.
Sales growth in Japan will probably outpace global expansion, jumping 14 percent to ¥rillion (US$49.5 billion) this year, the group said. Annual revenue from memory chips is also likely to increase faster than overall sales, advancing 14 percent to US$55.3 billion, led by dynamic random access memory (DRAM) for PCs and flash for consumer electronics.
Market researchers ISuppli Corp and Gartner Inc have also raised their projections for industry. The estimates suggest demand for memory chips made by companies such as Samsung Electronics Co and used in products such as Apple Computer Inc's iPod Nano, is fueling sales.
Stamford, Connecticut-based Gartner on May 19 raised its revenue growth outlook for the industry this year to 11 percent from a 9.5 percent forecast in February, citing demand for DRAM for personal computers and NAND flash memory for consumer electronics.
Gartner forecast 11 percent revenue growth to US$259.5 billion this year on March 19.
ISuppli, based in El Segundo, California, expects global chip sales to rise 7.4 percent to US$254.7 billion this year, it said on April 7. The estimate compares with 6.8 percent forecast in January.
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