2020 was a Wild Ride

By Rambus Inc.

December 17, 2020

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic cast a global shadow of uncertainty across multiple markets, including the semiconductor industry. Concerns were initially raised over the reliability of critical silicon supply chains, as well as a dip in demand. Fortunately, both concerns have been assuaged by booming chip sales and shipments, along with $110 billion of semiconductor M&A in 2020.

Memory Chip Sales

Indeed, the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) research firm recently said it sees chip sales increasing 5.1% to $433 billion in 2020. For 2021, the analyst group predicts chip sales will accelerate to 8.4% growth, reaching a total of $469 billion. According to John Neuffer, Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) president and CEO, global semiconductor sales in October increased year-to-year by the largest percentage since March – and continued to demonstrate the global semiconductor market’s resilience to headwinds caused by the pandemic and other macroeconomic factors. Perhaps not surprisingly, memory chip sales are expected to increase 12.2% in 2020 to $119 billion, outpacing all other groups. Seen as the fastest-growing category, memory chips remain on track to achieve 13.3% growth in 2021.

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