In 2008 China will be world's largest market for semiconductors

By 2008 the market for semiconductors in China will be the largest in the world at about $50 bln, according to STMicroelectronics. China will be 23% of the market, ahead of Japan at 21% and ahead of the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China and Japan, which will stand at 22% of the market. The Eastern part of the globe will represent 66% of the market for semiconductors and the Western part, Europe and the Americas, just 34%.

Europe and the Americas region are expected to maintain absolute market value but see their global market share decline more or less in lock step until the two markets are each 17% of the global market in 2008. These figures compare with 2003 where the market was approximately $166 bln. Europe and the Americas were each 19%, Japan had 23% and Asia-Pacific excluding Japan and China was 26% of the market. China was 12% of the global chip market in 2003, worth about $20 bln.