SIA Reports November Chip Sales

by Semiconductor Industry Association

SALES UP 3.7 PERCENT FROM OCTOBER, UP 8.5 PERCENT FROM NOVEMBER 2008

SAN JOSE, CA – January 4, 2010 – Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose to $22.6 billion in November, a 3.7 percent increase from October when sales were $21.8 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported today. Sales were 8.5 percent higher than November 2008 when sales were $20.9 billion. Sales for the first 11 months of 2009 were $202.1 billion, a decline of 13.2 percent from the like period of 2008 when sales were $232.7 billion. All monthly sales numbers represent a three-month moving average of global semiconductor sales.

“For the first time in 2009, worldwide semiconductor sales in November were in positive territory compared to one year ago,” said SIA President George Scalise. “2009 ended with sales of many IT and consumer products faring better than earlier projections. Sales of personal computers continue to strengthen in line with recent projections and appear to signal the beginning of recovery of demand from the business sector. The release of the Windows 7 operating system in October has been a positive factor. Unit sales of handsets should come in roughly even with 2008 levels. In the consumer space, there have been a few bright spots including LCD TVs, which saw an increase of 25-30 percent in units in 2009.

“With a sequential increase of 3.7 percent, November was the ninth-consecutive month of increased chip sales. Sales increased sequentially in all geographic regions,” Scalise concluded.

About the SIA Global Sales Report

The SIA Global Sales Report (GSR) is a three-month moving average of sales activity. The GSR is tabulated by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization, an independent, non-profit organization established by the global semiconductor industry to compile industry statistics. The moving average is a mathematical smoothing technique that mitigates variations due to differences in companies’ financial calendars.

VIEW DATA TABLE AND GRAPH HERE

About the SIA

The SIA is the leading voice for the semiconductor industry and has represented U.S. semiconductor companies since 1977. Collectively, the chip industry employs a domestic workforce of approximately 200,000 people. The semiconductor industry is America’s second-largest exporting industry. More information about the SIA can be found at www.sia-online.org.

For more information:
Semiconductor Industry Association
John Greenagel or Anne Craib
408-436-6600
mailbox@sia-online.org