Semiconductor industry revenue will grow at a slow pace this year due to struggling economies worldwide, lower spending and sluggish demand for products, research firm IHS iSuppli said in a study released on Tuesday.

ISuppli has increased its 2010 revenue forecast for semiconductor foundries, driven by a resurgence in demand for consumer products, the analyst firm said on Thursday

Gartner on Thursday said worldwide semiconductor revenue this year will be stronger than previously projected as shipments of PCs and smartphones grow rapidly.

Samsung Electronics plans to invest a massive amount of money to develop new businesses ranging from green energy to healthcare, such as solar cells and biopharmaceuticals.

While worldwide semiconductor sales in January were up just slightly from December, they wildly outpaced numbers from the same time a year ago.

Samsung Electronics reported its highest quarterly net profit in over two years on Friday as its semiconductor and LCD businesses returned to profitability.

The chairman of the world's largest contract chip maker has found himself drawn into the corruption case against the former president of Taiwan and his wife after a Chinese language magazine named him among a group of Taiwanese businessmen that illegally gave them money.

Singaporean contract chip maker Chartered Semiconductor will lay off 600 workers as the company grapples with sinking demand for semiconductors, executives announced Friday.