Semiconductor sales rose 27 percent in January to US$15.6 billion worldwide, led by increases in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, the Semiconductor Industry Association said.
Sales for the month were 2.4 percent below last December's sales, a decline typical for January, the industry group said in a statement.
The Asia-Pacific region, which includes China, had a sales increase of 34 percent in January from a year earlier to US$6.07 billion, and Japan's sales rose 32 percent to US$3.6 billion. Sales in Europe climbed 19.5 percent to US$2.95 billion, while those in the Americas gained 18.3 percent to US$3.03 billion.
The association, which counts Intel Corp and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC,
Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose 18.3 percent last year to US$166.4 billion, according to the industry group.
Last week researcher Gartner Inc said that worldwide semiconductor sales will rise 23 percent this year, the biggest increase since 2000, as demand improves for chips in devices such as DVD players and communications equipment.
additional reporting by Bill Heaney
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