Slowdown in the end market has made 2015 a difficult year for the fabless IC industry. According to global market research firm TrendForce, revenue generated by fabless IC industry worldwide for the entire 2015 is estimated around US$80.52 billion, down 8.5% year on year.
Releases of new mobile devices have sustained the IC industry’s revenue growth this year, but the smartphone market demand on the whole is showing signs of weakness. Looking ahead to 2016, global market research firm TrendForce estimates that the worldwide revenue of the semiconductor foundry industry will grow a mere 2.1% year on year to US$50.3 billion.