Chip sales edge up slightly

Semiconductor revenue for the first quarter is down 5.5 percent, but the sequential growth in March is the first in five months.

Global semiconductor sales ticked up slightly in March, showing sequential improvement for the first time in five months, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association or SIA trade group.

March chip sales totalled $26.1 billion on a three-month average basis, up 0.3 percent compared with February, said SIA, reporting sales figures compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics or WSTS.

But total first quarter chip sales totalled just $78.3 billion, down 5.5 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2015 and down 5.8 percent compared to the first quarter of 2015, SIA said.

"Global semiconductor sales increased in March for the first time in five months, but soft demand, market cyclicality and macroeconomic conditions continue to impede more robust growth," said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO, in a statement. Neuffer said first quarter sales declined sequentially in nearly all regions, with the Americas showing the sharpest decline.

To read the full article, go to EETimes.

See a comparison table of selected PCB assembly suppliers on GlobalSources.com