On the up
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has reported that worldwide sales of semiconductors totalled $16.5 billion in May, a 5.4 percent increase on April's $15.6 billion.
This is the third month in a row we've seen a sequential increase in worldwide semiconductor sales, but they're still 23.2 percent down on the same period a year ago.
"The sequential monthly increases lead us to be cautiously optimistic about a return to normal seasonal patterns for the industry going forward," said SIA President George Scalise. "As consumer confidence returns and the economy resumes growth, we expect the industry to reflect those patterns."
Here's a geographical breakdown of the figures and a graph showing historical trends. As the industry has apparently reached its nadir for this recession, it's interesting to observe that the year-on-year decline never got as bad as it was after the dotcom bubble burst.
