Britain's ARM Holdings has said it sees the semiconductor industry growing at "a few per cent" in 2012, while its licensing growth will be slower than this year as 2011 has been an exceptionally strong year.

"However we'll probably be having a higher level of licensing than a couple years ago because as ARM grows, our portfolio grows, so we have more available products for licensing," ARM president Tudor Brown said in an interview.

Last month, the company said strong licensing of its chip designs would shore up revenue in the absence of the usual uptick in royalties from sales of holiday-season electronic goods.

The semiconductor industry had a tough third-quarter as high US unemployment and European economic turmoil hit consumer spending. ARM licensees Texas Instruments and STMicroelectronics have both warned of weak demand.

Reuters