Intel holds onto the No. 1 spot for revenue in 2005 Revenue from worldwide semiconductor sales is expected to set a new record this year, according to research released Friday by Gartner. Revenue will reach $235 billion in 2005, a 6.9 percent increase from 2004, the research firm reported. That would beat the previous revenue record, set in 2000, of $223 billion.Demand for flash cards and USB flash drives plus the success of Apple Computer’s iPod shuffle drove growth for the year, Gartner said.Intel still holds the No. 1 spot for revenue in the segment. While its growth rate is typically below average, in 2005 Intel’s revenue grew twice the market average, or 14.3 percent. Increased shipments of mobile PCs boosted Intel’s component sales, driving its overall revenue growth. Samsung Electronics came second place with almost $18 billion in revenue for the year. For only the fifth time in 25 years, Koninklijke Philips Electronics was not in the top ten. The boom this year in the memory market, where Philips doesn’t compete, pushed the company out of the top runners, Gartner said.Hynix Semiconductor is a new entrant to the top-ten list. In the NAND flash market, Hynix’s revenue is expected to hit $1.5 billion in 2005, up from $212 million in 2004, Gartner said. Technology Industry