HP Was 2007’s Top Chip-Buyer
Hewlett-Packard bought the most chips last year, but Nintendo outgrew most with its Wii, Gartner analysts say.
Monday,
February 25, 2008 Hewlett-Packard bought US$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 of
the world’s semiconductors went into data processing gear last year, 38
percent, 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.”