Global Chip Sales Recover For Three Months On The Trot
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), which represents the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and design industry, has said that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $24.4 billion for the month of May 2012, a 1.4 percent increase over the prior month when sales were $24.1 billion.
Combined global sales for the March-April-May period
increased over December-January-February by the highest rate (6.4 percent)
since June 2010.
What's more, May marked the third consecutive month
that sales have grown over the previous month "“ the longest streak of
sequential monthly growth since September 2010. However, sales from May 2012
were 3.4 percent lower than the May 2011 total of $25.2 billion, and 2012
year-to-date sales were lower across all regions than at this time last year.
All monthly sales numbers represent a three-month moving average.
"The upward trend of global semiconductor sales is encouraging," said Brian Toohey, president & CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. "Recent sales totals are in line with industry projections of modest growth for the remainder of 2012, but a sluggish global economy continues to provide substantial headwinds, limiting more robust growth."
Regionally, semiconductor sales increased in Asia Pacific (10.5 percent), Europe (4.4 percent) and the Americas (1.6 percent) over a three-month moving average, but fell slightly in Japan (-0.7 percent). However, Japan realised an increase in sales from May 2011 to May 2012 (0.4 percent), while Asia Pacific (-1.9 percent), the Americas (-3.2 percent) and Europe (-13.6 percent) all saw year-to-year decreases.
