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Third Quarter Chip Sales Reflect Improving Market Conditions; Year-on-Year Sales Remain Negative, but Sequential Sales Show Strong Gains

Business Wire, November 2, 2009 Monday 11:00 AM GMT


Worldwide sales of semiconductors in the quarter ended September 30 were $61.9 billion, an increase of 19.7 percent from the prior quarter when sales were $51.7 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported today. Third-quarter sales were 10.1 percent lower than the $68.9 billion reported for the like period of 2008. September 2009 sales were $20.1 billion, an increase of 8.2 percent from August when sales were $19.1 billion. All monthly sales numbers represent a three-month moving average of global semiconductor sales.

"Global semiconductor sales in the third quarter were above expectations," said SIA President George Scalise. "September sales were in line with historical patterns, reflecting increased demand from end-users as they began the build for the holiday season. Unit sales of personal computers and cell phones - the two largest demand drivers for semiconductors - continue to run ahead of earlier forecasts. Meanwhile, demand for semiconductors for industrial applications - a sector that had declined sharply -- showed initial signs of recovery. Sales increased in all geographic regions.