The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) released an updated forecast projecting worldwide sales of semiconductors will grow by 9.

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8 percent to $249.6 billion in 2006. The forecast was revised upward from the November forecast projecting an increase of 7.9 percent. The SIA attributed the upward revision to stronger than expected growth in key end markets for semiconductors, most notably cell phones. The SIA now believes approximately one billion cell phones will be sold worldwide in 2006. With an average semiconductor content of $41 per unit, this segment is now second only to personal computers in terms of total chip consumption.

The revised forecast also includes more optimistic projections for industry sales from 2006 through 2009. According to the SIA, the industry will grow by 11.0 percent in 2007, 12.0 percent in 2008, and 4.0 percent in 2009. If the latest forecast materializes, worldwide semiconductor sales will reach $323 billion in 2009. The new forecast projects an average compound annual growth rate of 9.2 percent from 2005 through 2009.

The new forecast projects that analog products will be one of the fastest-growing segments of the market in 2006, with growth driven by strong demand from wireless communications and industrial and medical equipment applications. The revised forecast projects growth of 17.3 percent to $37.4 billion. This segment is projected to grow to $48.6 billion by 2009, a CAGR of 11.1 percent.

Discrete products are projected to grow by 4.9 percent to $16.0 billion in 2006 and to $18.9 in 2009, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5 percent.

Optoelectronic device sales are projected to grow by 11 percent to $16.5 billion in 2006 and to $21.9 billion in 2009, a CAGR of 10.1 percent.

Microprocessor sales are projected to grow by 4.3 percent to $36.4 billion in 2006 and to $46.0 billion in 2009, a CAGR of 7.1 percent.

Microcontroller sales are projected to grow by 1.9 percent to $12.3 billion in 2006 and to $15.4 billion in 2009, a CAGR of 6.3 percent.

Digital signal processors (DSPs) sales are projected to grow by 18.5 percent to $9.0 billion in 2006 and to $14.1 billion in 2009, a CAGR of 16.7 percent.

MOS logic device sales are projected to grow by 7.6 percent to $62.1 billion in 2006 and to $82.5 billion in 2009, a CAGR of 9.3 percent.

DRAM sales are projected to increase by 9.1 percent to $27.9 billion in 2006 and to $32.8 billion in 2009, a CAGR of 6.4 percent.

Flash memory sales are projected to grow by 20.0 percent to $22.3 billion in 2006 and to $31.1 billion in 2009, a CAGR of 13.7 percent..

The Asia-Pacific region will continue to be the fastest-growing market for chips, and is projected to reach 49 percent of a worldwide market in 2009. Europe will show the slowest growth during the period, growing from $40 billion last year to about $51 billion by 2009. In the same period, the U.S. market is expected to increase from $40.5 billion to about $58 billion, with the Asia Pacific region moving from $103 billion in 2005 to $158 billion in 2009. Japanese market is expected to reach $59 billion by 2009 from $42 million last year.