Possible recovery in IC industry

The recovery in the IC business is somewhat mixed, according to research company IC Insights.

Despite positive economic signs overall, individual IC market segments have seen revenue growth vary wildly. For example, some segments have seen revenues soar 89% from October 2001 to January 2002, while others have seen a 22% decrease.

Overall, the IC market measured about A$15.5 billion in revenue for January 2002, a 29% decrease from January 2001 but down only 4% from October 2001, attributed by IC Insights to seasonal weakness. The company said it believes comparing January 2002 to the first month of the previous quarter rather than year-ago levels is significant because it illustrates the bottoming of the current industry cycle.

Units shipped suffered similar declines, by 9% over the three months leading to the 21 billion units shipped in January 2002. Average selling prices rose 6% in January to A$3.2 from October 2001 levels, reflecting that recovery is underway, IC Insights said. The company said it is seeing stronger global economic conditions, which are setting the stage for a strong IC industry recovery in the second half of 2002.