Big spenders: top ten fab owners open up their wallets for 2010

By _Chris Edwards

February 25, 2010

IC Insights has posted its estimates for capital spending by the top ten chipmakers this year as companies open up their wallets in expectation of cashing in on very tight supply through the rest of the year and into 2011.

The analyst firm expects the top ten to increase their spending by 67 per cent in 2010, a bigger jump than that expected for the entire industry. That is also set for a sudden leap in spending, up by 51 per cent, but it’s an indicator of how the big fab owners are gradually pulling away from the rest of the pack in terms of fab spending. Only the biggest can afford to operator fabs while the rest are forced to rely increasingly on foundry production.

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