STAMFORD, CT – 2010 global semiconductor sales were up 31% to $299.4 billion, the largest dollar increase ever as a result of post-recession demand, says Gartner.

Memory vendors reported the strongest growth, with strong demand for mobile devices.

Intel kept its No. 1 spot for the 19th consecutive year, with its revenue from semiconductors up 26%; its market share, however, fell slightly compared to commodity memory vendors.

No. 2 Samsung saw its semiconductor sales surge 58% because of DRAM and NAND flash booms.

No. 3 Toshiba's semiconductor revenue was up 29% on strong sales of NAND flash memory used in mobile devices.