Although still projecting an overall decline for the semiconductor industry in 2009, VLSI Research has amended its forecast from down 17% to down 13%, compared to 2008. The market research firm cited April, 2009 IC sales as being higher than expected, 14% higher than the six-year rolling average and a record for the month of April. Recent forecasts from the SIA and WSTS are more pessimistic, projecting declines in the 20% range for 2009.
VLSI cited that its ‘Weekly IC Tracker’ chart indicated that the IC market bottomed at the end of January and it has risen steadily since that point. VLSI’s ‘Chip Price Performance Index’ (CPPI) was said to be sitting at a record high for the year. Its rise points to the fact that the market fundamentals for ICs are improving.