Chip sales bounce back in August
Efforts to improve the energy efficiency of consumer products, along with the rise of netbook computers, helped boost global chip sales in August by five percent compared with the previous month, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.
On a year-on-year basis, semiconductor sales were down 16 percent, the industry group said in a statement on Friday. On a year-to-date basis, sales were down more than 21 percent, compared with year-to-date figures from the same time in 2008. The group also said that the rate of decline in sales has slowed from the first six months of 2009, when sales declined by 25 percent year-over-year.
The group noted that incentive programmes for energy-efficient products, such as cars and home appliances, have increased the demand for the semiconductors that are key components of technology that reduce energy consumption. In addition, the rise of netbook computers has also created a new market segment that fills the gap between smartphones and notebook computers.
See SIA: Global chip sales showing sequential growth, hints of recovery at ZDNet.com for more on this story.