June 6, 2012 — Worldwide sales of semiconductors hit $24.1 billion in April 2012, a 3.4% increase from March ($23.3 billion). This marks the largest month-over-month growth for the industry since May 2010. Sales from April 2012 were 2.9% below the April 2011 total of $24.8 billion. Year-to-date sales are at $93.7 billion, a decrease of 5.9% from 2011 year-to-date figures in April ($99.5 billion), reports the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).
All monthly sales numbers represent a three-month moving average.
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| Figure. Worldwide semiconductor revenues and Y/Y percent change. SOURCE: WSTS and SIA. |
“The outlook for the global semiconductor industry continues to be one of cautious optimism…tempered by macroeconomic factors,” said Brian Toohey, president and CEO, SIA, adding that a trend is emerging of “modest, sequential growth” with stronger growth in 2013 and beyond.
On a regional basis, semiconductor sales increased in the Americas (5.6%), the Asia Pacific region (5.4%) and Europe (1.8%) over a three-month moving average, but fell slightly in Japan (-1.8%).
April 2012 Month-to-Month Sales ($B)
| Market | Last Month | Current Month | % Change |
| Americas | 4.46 | 4.56 | 2.4% |
| Europe | 2.83 | 2.82 | -0.2% |
| Japan | 3.42 | 3.38 | -1.3% |
| Asia Pacific | 12.58 | 13.31 | 5.8% |
| Total | 23.28 | 24.07 | 3.4% |
April 2012 Year-to-Year Sales ($B)
| Market | Last Year | Current Month | % Change |
| Americas | 4.58 | 4.56 | -0.4% |
| Europe | 3.30 | 2.82 | -14.4% |
| Japan | 3.42 | 3.38 | -1.2% |
| Asia Pacific | 13.49 | 13.31 | -1.4% |
| Total | 24.78 | 24.07 | -2.9% |
April 2012 Three-Month-Moving Average Sales ($B)
| Market | Nov/Dec/Jan | Feb/Mar/Apr | % Change |
| Americas | 4.32 | 4.56 | 5.6% |
| Europe | 2.77 | 2.82 | 1.8% |
| Japan | 3.44 | 3.38 | -1.8% |
| Asia Pacific | 12.63 | 13.31 | 5.4% |
| Total | 23.16 | 24.07 | 3.9% |
SIA endorses the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization’s Spring 2012 global semiconductor sales forecast, which projects that the industry’s worldwide sales will hit $301 billion in 2012, a 0.4% increase over last year. Regionally, WSTS projects year-over-year growth in the Americas (3.2%), Japan (1.7%) and the Asia Pacific region (0.1%) for 2012, with a slight downturn in Europe (-3.5%).
Beyond 2012, the industry is expected to grow at a significantly faster pace across all regions, according to the WSTS forecast. WSTS predicts 7.2% growth globally for 2013 ($322 billion in total sales) and 4.4% growth for 2014 ($337 billion).
WSTS tabulates its annual forecast by convening an extensive group of global semiconductor companies that provide accurate and timely indicators of semiconductor trends.
The Semiconductor Industry Association, SIA, represents the US semiconductor industry. Learn more at www.sia-online.org