The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, announced that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $87-billion during the third quarter of 2014, an increase of 5.7% over the previous quarter and a jump of 8% compared to the third quarter of 2013.
Third quarter sales outperformed the latestWorld Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) industry forecast. Global sales for the month of September 2014 reached $29 billion, 8% higher than the September 2013 total of $26.9-billion and 1.9 percent more than last month’s total of $28.5-billion. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by WSTS and represent a three-month moving average.
“Through the third quarter of 2014, global semiconductor sales remain strong and well ahead of last year’s pace,” says SIA president and CEO Brian Toohey. “The industry has now posted seven consecutive months of sequential monthly growth, and year-to-year growth has been strong across nearly all semiconductor product categories, with DRAM and Analog leading the way.”
Regionally, sales were up compared to last month in the Americas (2.8 percent) and Asia Pacific (2.5 percent), but down slightly in Europe (-0.1 percent) and Japan (-1.3 percent). Compared to September 2013, sales increased in Asia Pacific (12 percent), Europe (7.9 percent) and the Americas (3.7 percent), but decreased in Japan (-3.7 percent). All four regional markets have posted better year-to-date sales through September than they did through the same point last year.
