Hewlett-Packard bought $15 billion worth of semiconductors in 2007, more than any other company in the world, market researcher Gartner said Monday.
The top 10 chip purchasers combined for $91 billion last year, just a 1 percent rise over 2006, Gartner said in its Semiconductor DQ Monday Report.
Most, 38 percent, of the world's semiconductors went into data processing gear last year, while communications took 35 percent of all chips, and consumer goods claimed 20 percent. Chips made for industrial use accounted for 5 percent of global chip revenue, while automotive chips were just 2 percent.
Nintendo jumped in the rankings of global chip purchasers last year as its chip consumption more than doubled due to strong sales of the Wii game console and DS handheld, Gartner said. The company bought $3.6 billion worth of chips last year, over 100 percent growth compared to a year earlier.
Gartner credited Nintendo's focus on the user experience, its expertise in software, integration of sensors, and relationship with game developers for its success last year.
"Companies such as Nintendo are trendsetters, and their design choices affect other manufacturers," said Gartner analysts Alfonso Velosa and Jon Erensen in the report. "We expect many electronics firms to experiment with touch screens, non-optical and optical sensors, and multiple wireless technologies -- but many of these offerings will fail, due to poor software and user interface integration. However, these activities should result in growth opportunities for semiconductor firms that provide relevant components."
Get the independent advice and expertise you need to support a virtual workforce.
The increase in Linux popularity has increased the frequency and sophistication of malware attacks. Read this 2 page white paper now to learn how you can protect your Linux environment with real-time protection that is certified by all major Linux vendors.
Download now »
Ensuring acceptable application delivery will become even more difficult over the next few years. As a result, IT organizations need to ensure that the approach that they take to resolving the current application delivery challenges can scale to support the emerging challenges. This handbook elaborates on the key tasks associated with planning, optimization, management and control and provides decision criteria to help IT organizations choose appropriate solutions.
Download now »
A common misconception is that mid-range storage requirements are dramatically different than that of a larger enterprise. Mid-range storage users may require less capacity, but they have similar functionality and management requirements. This ESG paper examines mid-range storage needs and reviews a new solution that adjusts size while retaining value, performance and functionality.
Download now »
Sign up to receive Hardware Resource Alerts
Recommend This
