Date: 10 Mar 2010  Source: DIGITIMES

IC design houses Pixart Imaging and Ralink Technology both saw a slight revenue growth in February, defying seasonal patterns. Pixart posted revenues of NT$336 million (US$10.52 million) last month, up 2% sequentially, while Ralink's February revenues grew 3% on-month to NT$556 million.

Most Taiwan-based IC designers saw February revenues decline 15-25% because there were fewer working days in that month due to the Lunar New Year holidays. However, strong demand caused shipments delay from January and helped lift revenue performances of Pixart and Ralink in February, according to market sources.

Pixart's February revenues were driven by handset and game related CMOS image sensor (CIS) orders. The company will start trial production for new products in the second quarter and are expected to see monthly revenues return to above NT$450 million in the second half, said the sources.

Ralink has revised its shipment guidance upward to 17 million units for the first quarter, in line with the level of fourth-quarter 2009. The company has seen demand from Europe and China remain strong.

In related news, IC design service provider Faraday Technology also reported a 9% growth in its February revenues, reaching NT$516 million, mainly thanks to shipments of ASIC chips.