Global sales grew to $48.8 billion in the first quarter of 2004 compared to $36.4 billion in the first quarter of 2003 and $48.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2003. The SIA noted that the first quarter is normally a seasonally weak quarter for semiconductor sales while the fourth quarter is normally a strong quarter. Coupled with the 4.2 percent first-quarter growth in the U.S. GDP, the sequential sales growth in the first quarter is a further indication of the strength of the economic recovery that is driving demand for a broad range of semiconductor products.

(May 5, 2004) Santa Clara, Calif.&#8212Best Electronics and Components Co. Inc., a contract test facility for analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, has established a high-volume chip scale package (CSP) production line. The company reports that the new line can electrically sort, laser mark, visually inspect, tape-and-reel multiple wafer-scale devices such as standard or bumped die as small as 0.5-mm square, and QFN packages at production volumes of 2 million devices per week.