Sales of the global integrated circuit (IC) packaging and testing services sector last year grew 2.1 percent from a year earlier, with the small growth pace reflecting weak consumption worldwide, according to Gartner Inc.
In a research report released on its Web site on Thursday, Gartner, a US-based market information advisory firm, said revenue generated by IC packaging and testing services providers totaled US$24.53 billion, up from US$24.02 billion in 2011.
Gartner said that after a year-on-year 1.8 percent increase in 2011, the world’s IC packaging and testing business remained in a slow-growth mode last year.
“Weakness in the PC market, which started in 2011 and carried into 2012, and lower overall consumer demand were contributors to the slow growth,” Gartner research vice president Jim Walker said in a statement.
“This weak demand for semiconductor devices resulted in inventory buildup for much of the year,” Walker said.
Taiwan’s Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASE, 日月光半導體) ranked as the largest IC packaging and testing services provider in the world last year, with a 17.9 percent share of the global market.
According to Gartner, ASE posted US$4.40 billion in revenue last year, up 3.5 percent from a year earlier, ahead of Amkor Technology Inc of the US, which generated US$2.76 billion in sales, down 0.6 percent from a year earlier, to take an 11.3 percent share of the world market.
Siliconware Precision Industries Co (矽品), another Taiwanese firm, came in third last year after posting US$2.19 billion in sales, up 8 percent from the previous year, for an 8.9 percent share of the global market.
STATS ChipPAC Inc of Singapore ranked as the fourth-largest IC packaging and testing services provider, with a 6.9 percent share last year. STATS ChipPAC posted US$1.7 billion in sales last year, down 0.3 percent from a year earlier.
Powertech Technology Inc (力成) of Taiwan was the world’s fifth-largest provider, with a 5.7 percent market share last year, when the company posted US$1.41 billion in sales, up 12.4 percent from a year earlier.
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