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SAN JOSE – Worldwide sales of semiconductors continued on a record pace, reaching $20.4 billion in November, according to SIA. Worldwide semiconductor sales rose 7.2% from last year and were up 1.7% sequentially.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – The appeal of low-cost and portable PCs will continue to drive double-digit growth of the PC market in 2006, despite fewer replacements and slower economic growth, according to IDC.

Following third-quarter growth of more than 17% year-on-year, worldwide PC shipments are now expected to grow by nearly 15% in the fourth quarter, boosting annual growth a half point ahead of the 15.3% rate in 2004 to 15.8% in 2005 and raising the outlook for growth in 2006 to 10.5%.

SAN JOSE -- North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.09 billion in orders in November on a 90-day average basis and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.92 according to SEMI.

A book-to-bill of 0.92 means that $92 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

Bookings were about even with revised October levels of $1.09 billion and 18% below the $1.33 billion in orders posted last year.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in November was $1.18 billion, up 3% from October and down 12% from November 2004.

"Bookings for North American-based semiconductor equipment providers continue to show stability, with signs of some improvement over the previous quarter," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "The well-managed spending cycle throughout 2005 has been encouraging and the equipment market is positioned for growth in 2006."

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

SAN JOSE – Electronic design automation revenue for the third quarter was up 6%, to $1.1 billion, over last year, the EDA Consortium said today. PCB and multichip module revenue was flat, at $81 million.

EDAC chairman Wally Rhines called the strength "broad-based, with all regions up, as well as nearly all product segments."

EDA license and maintenance sales grew 6% in the third quarter to $851 million.

EDA's largest tool category, computer-aided engineering, generated revenue of $469 million in Q3, up 4% over in 2004. IC physical design and verification reported revenue of $296 million, a 9% rise. Semiconductor property revenue totaled $199 million, up 5%, and services revenue rose 9% to $72 million.

North America, EDA's largest region, purchased $532 million of EDA products and services, up 3%. Western Europe sales increased 7% to $218 million. Revenue in Japan grew 9% to $243 million. Elsewhere, sales rose for the 27th straight quarter, increasing 9% to $129 million.

Reporting companies employed 21,140 professionals in Q3, up 3% from a year ago.

TOKYO – Electronics production in Japan will fell in 2005 but will rebound in 2006. That’s according to the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association.

JEITA forecast domestic production of $161.4 billion for 2005, down 3.5% from revised 2004 figures. The trade group had previously guided for a 2.8% gain.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The automotive electronics market is primed for outsourcing, Jabil Circuit CEO Tim Main said in an interview published this week.

Main told Forbes.com that the combination of higher electronics content in vehicles and “an intense need” for auto makers and their suppliers to cut costs bodes well for “great long-term growth.”