Semiconductor sales increased on a year-to-year basis in the Americas (14.2 per cent), China (6.3 per cent), and Asia Pacific/All Other (5.3 per cent)
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $39.0 billion for the month of October 2020. The figures represent an increase of six percent compared to the October 2019 total of $36.8 billion and 3.1 per cent more than the September 2020 total of $37.9 billion.
“Global semiconductor sales in October increased year-to-year by the largest percentage since March, continuing to demonstrate the global semiconductor market’s resilience so far to headwinds caused by the pandemic and other macroeconomic factors. Annual semiconductor sales are projected to increase moderately in 2020, with somewhat larger growth forecasted for 2021,” said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO.
Monthly sales are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. Additionally, a newly released WSTS industry forecast projects annual global sales will increase 5.1 per cent in 2020, followed by an increase of 8.4 percent in 2021. Projections for both years are higher than they were in the previous WSTS forecast released in July. SIA represents 98 per cent of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.
Regionally, sales increased on a year-to-year basis in the Americas (14.2 per cent), China (6.3 per cent), and Asia Pacific/All Other (5.3 per cent), but decreased in Japan (-1.0 per cent) and Europe (-4.8 per cent). On a month-to-month basis, sales increased across all regions: Europe (6.0 percent), the Americas (3.2 per cent), China (2.9 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (2.8 per cent), and Japan (1.6 per cent).
Additionally, SIA today endorsed the WSTS Autumn 2020 Semiconductor Market Forecast, which projects the industry’s worldwide sales will be $433.1 billion in 2020, a 5.1 per cent increase from the 2019 sales total of $412.3 billion. WSTS projects year-to-year increases in 2020 for the Americas (18.7 percent) and Asia Pacific (3.8 per cent), with decreases projected in Japan (-0.6 per cent) and Europe (-8.4 percent). In 2021, global sales are expected to increase by 8.4 per cent. The last WSTS forecast, released in July 2020, projected smaller market growth of 3.3 percent in 2020 and 6.2 per cent in 2021.
