14 DAY TRIAL // By now, end-users have become probably well aware of, and likely glad about, the fact that the world economy is on a rebound and that the IT industry, in particular, is steadily getting back on its feet after the unhappy 2008-2009 period. As such, hearing of chip sales growth during February might not come as a total surprise. What may seem somewhat intriguing, however, is the percentage by which those sales jumped, compared to the same period in 2009.
According to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), worldwide semiconductor sales, during the second month of the ongoing year, decreased by 1.3 percent, compared to January, but showed a substantial jump from last year's performance.
Specifically, the total of $22.0 billion was 1.3% less than January's $22.3 billion, but no less than 56.2% higher than that of last year's February, when the total sales amounted to only $14.1 billion. These reasonably good sales seem to reinforce the idea that the economy is genuinely recovering, especially after January chip sales rose by 0.3% compared to December 2009, even despite the holiday shopping done during that time.
“The February sales numbers reflect continued recovery of sales of semiconductors, with demand principally driven by growth in sales of electronic products in emerging economies,” SIA President George Scalise said. “Unit sales of the two leading demand drivers for semiconductors – personal computers and cell phones – are now projected to grow in the low- to mid-teens in 2010. While the 56 percent year-on-year growth reflected in the February sales number is encouraging, it is important to note that January and February of 2009 marked the low point for the semiconductor industry during the worldwide economic downturn.”
“There are encouraging signs that the global economic recovery will continue, and we remain cautiously optimistic that there is upside potential for growth beyond our November forecast for 2010,” Scalise concluded.