Global semicon sales up 6.4% y-o-y in August to US$25.87 billion

by **Cals** Mon 07 Oct 2013, 00:56

Business & Markets 2013

Written by Surin Murugiah of theedgemalaysia.com

Saturday, 05 October 2013 14:06

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 5): Global semiconductor sales rose 6.4% year-on-year in August 2013 to US$25.78 billion, marking the industry’s largest year-over-year growth since March 2011, according to the US-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).
In a statement on its website Oct 4, the SIA said sales in the Americas increased by 23.3% compared to August 2012, while global sales in August were 1.3% higher than the previous month’s total of $25.53 billion.
It said all monthly sales numbers were compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represented a three-month moving average.
SIA president and CEO Brian Toohey said global semiconductor sales had now increased for six consecutive months, and the industry was well ahead of last year’s pace mainly due to sustained growth in the Americas.
“Strong demand for memory products has driven sales in recent months, but sales were also up in August among non-memory products, demonstrating the breadth of the semiconductor market’s strength.”
Toohey said while semiconductor sales had demonstrated increasing momentum in recent months, thanks in part to stabilizing macroeconomic conditions, but this week’s government shutdown and a looming debate over the nation’s debt limit threatend to destabilize the economy and disrupt growth.
“Congress and the Administration should work together to avoid these self-inflicted wounds and get America’s fiscal house in order,” he said.
The SIA said that regionally, August sales topped sales from the same month last year in the Americas (23.3%), Asia Pacific (7.6%), and Europe (5%), but decreased in Japan (-16.4 %), in large part because of the devaluation of the Japanese yen.
Sales in August were up across all regions compared to the previous month, it said.