“Normal seasonal patterns contributed to a healthy 5 percent sequential increase in worldwide semiconductor sales in August,” said SIA President George Scalise. “August is historically the beginning of the holiday season build by electronics manufacturers, which in turn drives demand for a broad range of semiconductor products.”

According to the SIA the demand for low-cost phones and PC’s in emerging markets was a key growth area.

“PC unit growth is proving to be very solid in 2007,” said Scalise. “PCs account for approximately 40 percent of all semiconductor sales and are growing most rapidly in emerging markets, where lower-cost PCs with lower silicon content have been selling well. Unit sales of cell phones are also running well ahead of our earlier forecast of 10 percent growth, and we currently expect that total unit sales will be up by 15 percent in 2007. Increased affordability of handsets is aiding sales in developing markets such as China and India, while demand has also strengthened in established markets such as Europe and the U.S.”

August is typically better than July due to the month being regarded as the first associated with the build towards the holiday season in December.