These original Kirt's Cogitations™ may be reproduced (no more than 5, please) provided proper credit is given to me, Kirt Blattenberger.

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   Cog·i·ta·tion [koj-i-tey'-shun] – noun: Concerted thought or reflection; meditation; contemplation.
   Kirt [kert] – proper noun: RF Cafe webmaster.

We Don't Need No Stinking Fab

In other news, a recent report on semiconductor data (iSuppli Corp) shows that in 2003, an estimated 75.1% of revenue from worldwide fabless semiconductor industry was generated by American-based companies, and 56.8% of the demand for those products originated in the Asia/Pacific region. That region is the largest chip-consuming area in the world. Including China, the Asia/Pacific region accounted for 39.9% of global semicon sales in 2003. American-based semiconductor companies accounted for 48.7% of worldwide chip revenues in the previous year, which means the U.S. still dominates, though the margin is eroding. Reportedly, hiring for semiconductor circuit designers in the U.S. is on the rise, which is welcome news to those amongst the ranks of the 6.2% EE unemployed here.