Worldwide sales of semiconductors were US$25.8 billion for September, up 2.7% from the prior month when sales reached US$25.1 billion, according to new figures from SIA. Sales for the third quarter of 2011 showed increases of 2.1% sequentially and 2.2% on year, SIA indicated.
"September's global sales demonstrate an optimistic close to the third quarter," said Brian Toohey, president for SIA. "While global economic uncertainty creates limited visibility for the remainder of the year, recent positive indicators and developments in the US and Europe are encouraging."
Strong demand for automotive applications and mobile processing in handheld devices like smartphones, tablets and e-readers added to the chip sales rise sequentially in the third quarter, SIA said.
SIA also pointed out that a 13.7% quarter-over-quarter increase in Japan was driven by progress made in their recovery efforts.