EL SEGUNDO, CA -- After reaching a worrisome high in the third quarter of 2012, global semiconductor inventories held by chip suppliers fell at a surprisingly fast rate in the fourth quarter, led by dramatic reductions for market leader Intel.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – A predicted surge of smaller, lower-priced devices in the tablet market has led International Data Corp. to increase its 2013 forecast for the worldwide tablet market to 190.9 million, up from its previous forecast of 172.4 million units.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- The dynamic random access memory market overcame seasonal slowness and returned to growth in the final quarter of 2012, helped by the strong performance of SK Hynix after the South Korean supplier expanded to its largest market share ever, according to IHS iSuppli.

SAN JOSE — Worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment totaled $36.93 billion in 2012, down 15% year-over-year.