Semiconductor sales were up by 56 per cent

IT WAS MIXED NEWS for the semiconductor industry when sales figures were announced by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).

Figures for February were down 1.3 per cent from January to $22.0 billion, however that was a huge improvement over the state of things last year with sales up 56.2 percent.

In a press release, SIA president George Scalise said 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.

The big sales are coming in semiconductors for PCs and mobile phones which are projected to grow between 10 and 17 per cent in 2010.

Scalise pointed out that while the 56 per cent year-on-year growth reflected in the February sales number was 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.

Despite the 1.3 per cent fall in February sales, he said that there were encouraging signs that the global economic recovery will continue. µ