Global semiconductor revenues fell by 11.7 percent in 2019, a loss of $57 billion compared to 2018 and was the most notable drop since 2009. Semiconductor suppliers heavily dependent on the memory segment bore the brunt of the market plunge.
By contrast Intel recorded growth of 1.3 percent, based on a strategy that has refocused its business into various critical products and end markets. While its core MCU business saw no growth, sales of logic chips, for example, jumped 7.1 percent.
Intel operates five distinct groups covering: data centres, the IoT, 3D NAND flash memory for solid-state drives, programmable semiconductors and PCs and four out of five of these groups attained growth and posted record-high revenue in 2019 - a major accomplishment considering the wider market.
Intel’s strategy of focusing on attractive semiconductor market segments and value-added products seems to be paying off.
