Global semicon sales forecast lowered for 2011 & 2012, says SIA

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 6): Growth forecast for global semiconductor sales for 2012 have been cut after the October sales recorded a 1.8% year-on-year (y-o-y) decline, according to the US-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).

In a statement Dec 5, the SIA said global semiconductor sales slipped 0.1% month-on-month in October to US$25.7 billion from US$25.8 billion in September

The SIA said it was endorsing the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS)'s Autumn 2011 forecast which cut its global sales growth projection to 1.3% or US$302 billion in 2011 and 2.6% or US$310 billion in 2012.

WSTS had previously forecasted a growth rate of 5.4% in 2011 and 7.6% in 2012 in its Spring 2011 forecast.

SIA president Brian Toohey said that despite a challenging global economic environment this year and the natural disasters that had impacted production in Asia, the semiconductor industry had demonstrated impressive resilience.

“The growing level of semiconductor content embedded across a wide range of consumer, industrial, business and government applications points to continued growth in 2012 and 2013,” he said.