Big Shakeup in 1Q07 Top Semiconductor Supplier Rankings
Sony replaces Freescale in Top 10

IC Insights' May update to The McClean Report describes the big shakeup in the 1Q07 top 20 semiconductor supplier ranking (Figure 1). The first quarter inventory correction in the IC industry helped cause a great deal of movement up and down the list in 1Q07 as compared to the full-year 2006 rankings. A summary of the changes that took place in the 1Q07 ranking, as compared to 2006, are shown below:

• Sony, Hynix, and Toshiba each gained two positions in 1Q07. Spurred by increasing internal transfers for its PS3 game machines, Sony moved into the top 10 ranking and currently resides in 9th place. Hynix moved from 7th to 5th while Toshiba jumped past TI and ST to secure the number 3 ranking.
  
  
• In spite of early 2007 DRAM pricing weakness, Micron jumped three places to become the 11th largest semiconductor supplier, only $19 million behind 10th-ranked NXP.
  
  
• Another big DRAM supplier, Elpida, gained five positions in the ranking, rising from being ranked 23rd in 2006 to 18th in 1Q07.
  
  
• Other companies climbing in the ranking include Qimonda and Qualcomm, each moving up two positions.
  
  
• The companies that fell in the 1Q07 ranking include TI, ST, TSMC, Freescale, NEC, AMD, IBM, and Fujitsu. Of these eight companies, AMD fell the furthest and went from being ranked 13th in 2006 to 17th in 1Q07.

IC Insights expects to see continued DRAM and flash memory pricing volatility over the next eight months, the end of most of the major IC inventory adjustments by the end of June, and a seasonal rebound in overall IC demand beginning in August. Together, these three factors are likely to continue to cause significant movement in the top 20 semiconductor ranking throughout 2007.

Figure 1

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