Worldwide semiconductor revenues are expected to slide 33 per cent to $152 billion (€169 billion) in 2001, making it the worst decline in the history of the industry, according to a survey released yesterday.

Gartner division Dataquest said all of the top 10 semiconductor vendors were expected to experience revenue declines, ranging from 19 to 49 per cent, based on preliminary data. NEC is expected to see revenues drop 49.4 per cent, and Intel to suffer a fall of 22.4 per cent.

"A downturn of this magnitude will be difficult for many companies to recover from in 2002," said Ms Mary Olsson, chief analyst for Gartner Dataquest's worldwide semiconductor group.