Scottsdale, Arizona --- December 6, 2001 --- IC Insights today released its forecasted ranking of the top 10 semiconductor suppliers for 2001. With three suppliers each from the U.S., Europe, and Japan, the list is a balanced representation of geographic regions.

The first three positions in the worldwide top 10 semiconductor supplier rankings are forecast to remain unchanged in 2001 compared to 2000, according to IC Insights. However, significant movement is expected in the remainder of the rankings (see figure below). According to statistics recently generated by IC Insights, forecasted 2001 changes in top 10 positioning include:

--STMicroelectronics gains two positions from 7th to 5th,
--Philips penetrates the top 10 list by jumping two spots,
--Samsung and Motorola each slip in the ranking, and
--Micron Technology drops out of the top 10 ranking

STMicroelectronics is forecast to gain two spots to land in the #5 position in the top-10 ranking. Its 19 percent decline in 2001 semiconductor sales is forecast to be the smallest among the top 10 suppliers. It is interesting to note that STMicroelectronics ranked 8th in worldwide semiconductor sales as recently as 1999.

Philips is forecast to gain entry into the top 10 ranking primarily due to other companies faltering. For example, Micron (ranked 10th in 2000) and Hynix (formerly Hyundai, ranked 11th in 2000) are each forecast to display at least a 40 percent drop in their 2001 calendar year sales.

Samsung is forecast to drop two positions in the top 10 ranking in 2001 as worldwide DRAM sales are expected to decline 62 percent in 2001. The steep drop in 2001 DRAM sales is also forecast to be responsible for Micron falling out of the top 10 ranking. It is interesting to note that rumors have recently surfaced regarding a possible merger of Micron and Hynix.

Motorola's forecasted slide from the sixth to the seventh position in 2001 is partly due to the massive IC inventory adjustments in the communications industry (e.g., cellular phones) in 2001. The communications industry inventory adjustment is also a significant factor behind TI's expected steep 35 percent 2001 decline.

In total, sales of the top 10 semiconductor producers are forecast to drop 32 percent in 2001 -- equaling the decline in the worldwide semiconductor industry.

After registering three 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 fourth quarter of 2001. Although the 2002 semiconductor market is expected to increase only 1 percent over 2001, IC Insights' forecasts that quarterly worldwide semiconductor industry growth rates will exceed 10 percent in 3Q02 and 4Q02.

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.