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WORLDWIDE SALES INCREASE 8.7 PERCENT COMPARED TO LAST JANUARY; AMERICAS POST STRONGEST GROWTH AMONG REGIONAL MARKETS WASHINGTON—March 2, 2015—The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, today announced that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $28.5 billion for the month of January 2015, the industry’s highest-ever January total and an increase […]

by Semiconductor Industry Association

[Note: This is part one of a series on the semiconductor manufacturing process and the associated industry business models.] Often, I am asked by people new to the semiconductor industry how semiconductors are made. While the science and engineering behind how semiconductors are made is akin to modern day alchemy and the process is quite […]

by Semiconductor Industry Association

In a meaningful, incremental step forward in the effort to reform America’s high-skilled immigration system, the Obama Administration today announced a new regulation that will allow spouses of certain high-skilled immigrants working in the U.S. to apply for work authorization of their own. This common sense initiative will increase companies’ access to the world’s top […]

by Semiconductor Industry Association

Last November, when I wrote about industry sales through the third quarter of 2014, I said that it was hard to envision final 2014 sales not being the highest annually on record and that a more interesting question to consider was whether final 2014 annual sales would surpass the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics’ (WSTS) forecast […]

WORLDWIDE SALES INCREASE 9.9 PERCENT IN 2014, REACHING RECORD TOTAL OF $335.8 BILLION AND OUTPERFORMING INDUSTRY FORECAST; SALES IN AMERICAS INCREASE 12.7 PERCENT WASHINGTON—Feb. 2, 2015—The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, today announced that the global semiconductor industry posted record sales totaling $335.8 billion in 2014, an increase […]

by Semiconductor Industry Association

SIA welcomes the news that U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman formally delivered the United States’ letter of acceptance of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) to the WTO Director in Davos, Switzerland on Friday. Delivery of the letter was a welcome final step in U.S. acceptance of the Agreement. The TFA will enter into force […]

by David Isaacs, Vice President, Government Affairs

SIA last week sent a letter to Senate leaders in support of the Immigration Innovation Act of 2015 (I-Squared Act), legislation introduced last week by a bipartisan group of senators led by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn). “The I-Squared Act would strengthen the U.S. economy and promote innovation by making important improvements […]

NOVEMBER SALES INCREASE 9.1 PERCENT COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, DECLINE SLIGHTLY COMPARED TO LAST MONTH WASHINGTON—Jan. 5, 2015—The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, today announced that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $29.7 billion for the month of November 2014, an increase of 9.1 percent from the November 2013 […]

by David Isaacs, Vice President, Government Affairs

As we prepare for the official start of the 114th Congress on Jan. 6, it’s a good time to assess the election results and the landscape for semiconductor industry priorities in the new Congress. The most notable change in Washington from the 2014 elections is that Republicans gained the majority in the U.S. Senate for […]

by David Isaacs, Vice President, Government Affairs

Imagine if the complex electronics on a U.S. nuclear submarine were compromised by counterfeit microchips, or semiconductors. It might sound like the plot of an action film, but this story came dangerously close to being a reality. Earlier this year, a man named Peter Picone admitted that he sent counterfeit semiconductors to the U.S. Naval […]

by Semiconductor Industry Association

On Dec. 16, the Senate approved legislation that provides a one-year, retroactive extension of the R&D tax credit, as well as an extension of bonus depreciation and the CFC look-thru rule, all of which lapsed at the end of 2013. The House passed this bill on Dec. 3 and it will soon be signed into […]