Global microchip sales rose 5.6% to $22.6bn in September compared to a year ago, and 5% from the previous month when sales were $21.5bn. The strong showing in September helped push third-quarter sales up 5.9% from a year ago and 13.2% higher than the previous quarter.
SIA president George Scalise said the increase from the prior quarter was in line with historic patterns as the holiday season build began.
The two largest drivers for semiconductors – PCs and mobile phones – continued to show healthy growth, he said. Gartner separately reported that global unit sales of PCs increased by 14.4% from the prior quarter. The researcher also forecast that PC sales will increase by 13% year-over-year. Microprocessor revenues grew by 18.7% compared to the prior quarter.
Worldwide sales of semiconductors for the first nine months of 2007 are running slightly ahead of the SIA June forecast, Scalise said. At this point, concern over rising energy costs has not been an issue. This will bear watching, however, as we move into the retail selling season.
