CORPORATE NEWS

Semiconductor R&D set to hit record high this year

Spending on RCD by semiconductor companies worldwide is expected to grow 10 per cent in 2012 to a recordhigh $53.4 billion, according to the mid-year update of IC Insights’ 2012 McClean report.

The increase will lift RCD spending by chip companies to 16.2 per cent of total semiconductor sales in 2012, which are now forecast to rise 3 per cent to $329.8 billion from revenues of $321.4 billion in 2011.

A dozen semiconductor companies spent more than $1 billion each on 5&D Ln 2011 IRU WKH fiUVW WLPH HvHU. are expected to account for the majority of global cellphone shipments in 2013—two years earlier than previously predicted.

Smartphone shipments in 2013 are forecast to account for 54 per cent of the total cellphone market —up from 46 per cent in 2012 and 35 per cent in 2011—according to an IHS iSuppli wireless communications market tracker report. The year 2013 will mark the first time when smartphones will make up more than half of all cellphone shipments.

“This represents a major upgrade for the outlook compared to a year ago, when smartphones weren’t expected to take the lead until 2015,” said Wayne Lam, senior analyst for wireless communications at IHS.