Canadian 3D graphics chip manufacturer ATI Technologies was again the leading supplier of 3D graphics last year according to the research group, John Peddie Associates. The company won substantial orders from set-top box manufacturer General Instrument and several major OEM contracts. JPA says that S3 Inc pulled itself out of the doldrums to claim second place, Matrox Inc held third, followed by Nvidia Inc which grew its market share through key OEM deals. Some 89 million 3D graphics chips were shipped last year with estimated revenues of $2.2bn made. The report also notes a decline in 2D chip shipments as 3D chips become standard issue on many PCs and new markets such as set-top boxes come online.
