In the wake of softening market demand in 2012, the global semiconductor market demand resumed in 2013. Despite the still-lukewarm macroeconomic conditions and noticeable declines in the demand for personal PCs, the worldwide semiconductor market still witnessed 3.3% year-on-year growth in 2013, bolstered mainly by the increasing demand for smart handheld devices such as smartphones and tablets.

From a macroeconomic perspective, the global economy is expected to see a slow comeback in 2014. According to statistics by IMF (International Monetary Fund), the global economy is estimated to see a 3.7% year-on-year growth in 2014, compared to just 3% in 2013. This is mainly attributed to growing economy witnessed in some major markets in 2014 such as the United States and Japan, even the euro zone. Emerging markets, though experiencing a slowdown, is expected to see 5.1% year-on-year growth in 2014, in particular China and India, where economic performance in 2014 is expected to outpace that in 2013.

Looking at the downstream demand for ICT products, the decline in personal PC shipments is expected to slow down in 2014 compared to 2013. Smart handheld devices, despite a slowdown in demand, are still expected to see positive shipment growth. Therefore, amid the global economic recovery, sales of smart handheld devices will buoy the global semiconductor market, to see a 4.4% growth in 2014 compared to 2013.

The Worldwide Semiconductor Market Volume, 2009 – 2015

Source: WSTS, compiled by MIC, March 2014

To see more about this report, please visit: The Worldwide and Taiwanese Semiconductor Industry, 2013 Recap and 2014 Forecast.

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Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC), based in Taipei, Taiwan, was founded in 1987. MIC is Taiwan's premier IT industry research and consulting firm providing intelligence, in-depth analysis, and strategic consulting services on global IT product and technology trends, focusing on markets and industries in Asia-Pacific. MIC is part of the Institute for Information Industry. https://mic.iii.org.tw/english