Global semiconductor sales up 56 per cent in February
05 Apr 2010
Global semiconductor sales rose 56.2 per cent in February, extending a recovery in chip sales, mainly driven by demand for electronic goods in emerging economies, the US semiconductor industry trade body has said.
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said worldwide semiconductor sales in February were down 1.3 per cent at $22.0 billion, against January sales of $22.3 billion.
February sales grew 56.2 per cent year-on-year compared with sales of $14.1 billion in the same month in 2009.
"The February sales numbers reflect continued recovery of sales of semiconductors, with demand principally driven by growth in sales of electronic products in emerging economies," said SIA president George Scalise.
The SIA said that sales of the two leading demand drivers for semiconductors, personal computers and cell phones, are now projected to grow in the low- to mid-teens in 2010.
While the 56 per cent year-on-year growth reflected in the February sales number is encouraging, it is important to note that January and February of 2009 marked the low point for the semiconductor industry during the worldwide economic downturn, said the SIA.
"There are encouraging signs that the global economic recovery will continue, and we remain cautiously optimistic that there is upside potential for growth beyond our November forecast for 2010," Scalise added.