Market demand dynamics, across all major sectors resulted in worldwide semiconductor sales reaching US$25.5 billion in January, up 1.5% compared to December when sales reached US$25.2 billion, according to the SIA. Though cautious to claim this is a significant development that could see greater than projected growth in 2011, the SIA acknowledge that the industry had experienced impressive growth over the last 12-months. Sales increased by 14.0% from US$22.4 billion in January 2010.
"The industry will continue to benefit from steady growth, as semiconductor content increases in a wide range of products. The impressive growth in semiconductor sales over the past year has been driven by strong demand across all major end markets as the products we use everyday become smarter, faster, and less expensive," said Brian Toohey, president, Semiconductor Industry Association. "We are especially encouraged by this trend in the industrial and automotive sectors, which saw significant growth."
According to the SIA, semiconductor sales have increased across all vertical markets such as consumer, automotive, computer, industrial, communications and government applications.
Semiconductor sales to both the industrial and automotive sectors increased by 50% and 44% respectively in 2010.