Semiconductor Sales Hit Highest Level for January

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Semiconductor Sales Hit Highest Level for January

March 3, 2014 Leave a commentNews Analysis, ResearchBy Gina Roos

Washington, D.C. -- Global semiconductor sales reached $26.28 billion for the month of January 2014, increasing 8.8 percent from January 2013 sales of $24.15 billion, thanks in part to strong growth in the Americas, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). This marks the industry's highest-ever January sales total and the largest year-to-year increase in nearly three years, said SIA.

"The global semiconductor industry has built on its record revenues from 2013 with an impressive start to 2014, led largely by continued strength in the Americas market," said Brian Toohey, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association, in a statement. "Sales in January were up across most regions and nearly all product categories compared to last January, which bodes well for continued growth during the rest of 2014."

Some of the growth may be attributed to increasing sales for high-speed wireless ICs. More than 80 million high-speed wireless ICs are forecast to ship into the smartphone market between 2013 and 2018, exceeding $260 million in 2018, according to the IHS report “60GHz Technologies and Other Competing Wireless Standards – World – 2013.” The report also finds that more than 400 million high-speed wireless ICs are projected to ship into the mobile PC market between 2013 and 2018, generating global revenue of $2.5 billion.

Here are the totals by region: Year-over-year sales increased in the Americas (17.3 percent), Europe (11.3 percent), and Asia Pacific (8.3 percent), but decreased in Japan (-4.7 percent). Sales were flat in Europe compared to the previous month, but decreased slightly in Asia Pacific (-0.6 percent), Japan (-2.3 percent), and the Americas (-3.5 percent).

However, global sales in January 2014 were 1.4 percent lower than the December 2013 total of $26.65 billion, reflecting normal seasonal trends, said SIA. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.