Top 10 growth markets for ICs

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- In the IC sector, 2010 is off to a decent start.

So what are the top-10 growth categories for 2010? ''The DRAM market is forecast to grow over 30 percent in 2010, leading all segments. Not surprisingly, flash memory also made the list. Several products serving the automotive and computer segments are also forecast to see better-than-industry average growth (e.g, better than 15 percent) in 2010,'' according to a report from IC Insighs Inc.

According to the firm, here's the top-10 growth markets: 1. DRAM--31 percent; 2. 32-bit MCU--18 percent; 3. Automotive—Special Purpose Logic/MPR--18 percent; 4. Flash Memory--18 percent; 5. Automotive App-Specific Analog--17 percent; 6. Computer App-Specific Analog--16 percent; 7. Computer and Peripherals—Special Purpose Logic/MPR--15 percent; 8. Consumer App-Specific Analog--15 percent; 9. MPU-- 15 percent; 10. Data Conversion--14 percent; Voltage Reg. & Ref--14 percent.

The IC market is expected to hit $270.7 billion in 2010, up 15 percent over 2009, according to IC Insights. In 2009, the IC market hit $235.4 billion, down 10 percent.