EDA revenue hit seasonal dip in Q1

SAN FRANCISCO—EDA revenue declined on a sequential basis in the first quarter after two straight sequential increases, but improved compared to the same period of 2009, according to the EDA Consortium (EDAC).  

Total first quarter EDA revenue of $1.25 billion was up 4.6 percent compared to the first quarter of 2009, when the semiconductor industry was still embroiled in a steep downturn, according to the report released Tuesday (July 13) by the EDAC's market statistics service. But first quarter revenue declined 1.2 percent on a sequential basis and has declined by 5.9 percent over the past four quarters, according to the report.

A sequential revenue decline from the fourth quarter of a year to the first quarter of the next year is consistent with historic EDA seasonal trends.

Computer aided engineering (CAE), EDA’s largest category, generated revenue of $458.5 million in the first quarter, up 7.2 percent year-to-year but down 3.5 percent sequentially, according to EDAC.  

Semiconductor IP revenue totaled $321 million in the first quarter, up nearly 36 percent from the first quarter of 2009. But over the past four quarters IP revenue has declined by a fraction of a percent, EDAC said.

EDA revenue from the Asia/Pacific region improved to $279 million in the first quarter, up 33 percent compared to the first quarter of 2009, EDAC said. Over the past four quarters, revenue from the APAC region has increased by 7 percent, EDAC said.

But revenue from the Americas, EDA’s largest region, declined to $493 million in the first quarter and has declined by 5.5 percent over the past four quarters, EDAC said.

Companies tracked by EDAC employed 26,099 professionals in the first quarter, up slightly compared to the fourth quarter of 2009, but down nearly 2 percent compared with the first quarter of 2009, EDAC said.