Scottsdale, Arizona --- July 23, 2001 --- The first three positions in the worldwide top ten semiconductor supplier rankings remained unchanged in the first half of 2001 compared to calendar year 2000 according to IC Insights. However, there was significant movement in the remainder of the rankings (see figure below). According to statistics recently generated by IC Insights, first-half 2001 changes in top ten positioning include:

> STMicroelectronics gained three positions from 7th to 4th,
> Mitsubishi penetrated the top ten list by jumping three spots,
> Samsung and Motorola each fell two positions, and
> Micron Technology dropped out of the top ten ranking

STMicroelectronics gained three spots to land in the #4 position in the top-ten ranking by displaying only a 2 percent decline in first half 2001 semiconductor sales, the least of any of the top ten suppliers. It is interesting to note that STMicroelectronics ranked 8th in worldwide semiconductor sales as recently as 1999.

Mitsubishi gained entry into the top ten ranking primarily due to other companies faltering. For example, Micron (ranked 10th in 2000) and Hynix (formerly Hyundai, ranked 11th in 2000) each witnessed a 40 percent or greater drop in their first half 2001 sales. Moreover, Philips (ranked 12th in 2000) posted semiconductor sales of only $2.30 billion in the first half of 2001, just under Mitsubishi's $2.38 billion.

Samsung dropped two positions in the top ten ranking as worldwide DRAM sales declined 45 percent in the first half of 2001. The steep drop in first half 2001 DRAM sales was also responsible for Micron falling out of the top ten ranking.

Motorola's slide from the sixth to the eighth position was partly due to the massive IC inventory adjustments in the communications industry (e.g., cellular phones) in the first half of this year. The communications industry inventory adjustment was also a significant factor behind TI's steep 22 percent first half decline. In total, sales of the top ten semiconductor producers dropped 16 percent in the first half of 2001 compared to the first half of 2000.

After registering two very steep quarterly declines in the first half of this year, IC Insights expects sequentially quarterly growth to return to the worldwide semiconductor industry in the third and fourth quarters of 2001. Although the semiconductor market is expected to decline by more than 20 percent this year, IC Insights' forecasts that worldwide semiconductor industry growth will return in 2002 with an increase of 14 percent or higher.

About IC Insights

IC Insights, Inc., based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is dedicated to providing high-quality, cost-effective market research for the integrated circuit industry. Founded in 1997, IC Insights offers coverage of global economic trends, IC market forecasts, capital spending and fab capacity trends, product market details, and technology trends, as well as complete IC company profiles and evaluations of emerging markets for ICs.