In contrast with the global trend, the country’s semiconductor consumption rose 7.4 per cent to touch $8 billion in 2012 from a year ago. Worldwide semiconductor revenues fell 2.6 per cent to touch $299.9 billion in 2012, according to a study by research and analysis firm Gartner. “The worldwide semiconductor industry suffered serious disruption in 2012. Excess inventory in the supply chain was the key factor,” said Ganesh Ramamoorthy, research director at Gartner. “High inventory levels impacted semiconductor consumption in India as well during 2012. However, a relatively better domestic economic climate and growth in consumer spending helped the semiconductor consumption growth in India,” he added.
Of the three key electronic devices – mobile phones, PCs and LCD TVs, the latter saw the biggest growth of nearly 45 per cent in terms of semiconductor consumption. Semi-conductor consumption in mobile phones grew 5.7 per cent and that of personal computers fell by 0.3 per cent during 2012. The three devices account for more than 70 per cent of India’s overall semiconductor consumption.