Global semiconductor sales up slightly in September

USA: The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, announced that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $24.79 billion for the month of September 2012, a 2 percent increase from the prior month when sales were $24.30 billion.

Sales from the third quarter of 2012 totaled $74.4 billion – a 1.8 percent jump compared to the previous quarter – but total 2012 sales were down 4.7 percent compared to the same time last year. All monthly sales numbers represent a three-month moving average.  

“Semiconductor sales increased from August to September and from Q2 to Q3 as the industry continued to exhibit relative steadiness in a choppy global economy, but the global industry remains behind last year’s pace due to lingering economic headwinds,” said Brian Toohey, SIA president and CEO. “Following tomorrow’s election, we stand ready to work with the newly-elected Administration and Congress to enact policies that ease economic uncertainty and remove barriers to innovation.”

Regionally, sales increased by 5.8 percent in the Americas on a sequential monthly basis, marking the region’s largest increase since May 2010. Sales also increased from August to September in Asia Pacific (1.6 percent), Europe (0.7 percent) and Japan (0.2 percent), but all four regions lagged behind September 2011 sales.  

“On a regional basis, the Americas were particularly encouraging, posting the largest monthly increase in more than two years,” Toohey said. “The region also received positive news last week when SIA announced that the US semiconductor industry now directly employs almost a quarter of a million workers and added jobs three times faster than the rest of the US economy.”