According to the latest figures, the market for semiconductors was valued at $12.51bn in October 2002, up from $12.29bn in September 2002 and $10.44bn in October 2001. Year-on-year, the biggest gains were outside the Americas, indicating the migration of semiconductors away from the US.
Between October 2001 and 2002, sales in the Asia-Pacific region grew 35.1% from $3.37bn to $4.56bn, while in Japan sales increased 21.4% from $2.35bn to $2.85%. Sales in Europe grew 11.7% from $2.2bn to $2.46bn, while sales in the Americas increased just 5.2% from $2.51bn to $2.65bn.
The Americas also recorded the slowest growth from September to October 2002. During this period, sales in the Americas increased just 0.5% from $2.63bn. The biggest gains were in Europe where sales grew 6.2% from $2.32bn. Sales in Japan grew 0.8% from $2.83bn, while sales in Asia-Pacific increased 1% from $4.51bn.
The Semiconductor Industry Association’s president, George Scalise, said the figures point to a healthy recovery for the chip market following on from three quarters of continually rising growth this year. The SIA is expecting sales to grow 3.8% sequentially in the fourth quarter to be worth $38.27bn, with sales for the full year expected to be $141.40bn, up 1.8% on 2001.
Source: Computerwire
