Global chip industry hits record annual sales in seven months

Worldwide semiconductor sales climbed 135% year on year.

Global semiconductor sales reached $146.8b (£115.6b) in July, up 6.4% on June's $137.9b and a striking 135.1% higher than the $62.5b recorded a year earlier, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said on Thursday.

The figures, compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organisation and expressed as a three-month moving average, mark the 17th consecutive month of month-on-month growth for the global chip market. Remarkably, the industry has already logged its highest-ever annual sales total just seven months into the year.

John Neuffer, SIA president and chief executive, said sales into the Americas, Asia-Pacific and China continued to drive strong year-on-year expansion. "The global semiconductor market grew on a month-to-month basis for the 17th consecutive month in July, and the industry has already reached its highest-ever annual global sales total just seven months into the year," he said.

The rally was broad-based across regions. Year-on-year growth in July was led by the Americas, up 171.3 %, followed by Asia-Pacific and other markets (134.9%), China (123.6%), Europe (85.2%) and Japan (50.8%). On a month-on-month basis, Japan posted the strongest gain at 9.2%, ahead of the Americas (8.7%), Asia-Pacific and other markets (6.8%), Europe (5.2%) and China (2.9%).

The SIA represents 99% of the US semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-US chip firms.