April global chips sales at US$15.6b, up 6.4% on-month

Tags: cell phones | personal computers | semiconductors

Written by Joseph Chin

Tuesday, 02 June 2009 10:49

KUALA LUMPUR: Global sales of semiconductors rose to US$15.6 billion in April, up 6.4% from March sales volume of US$14.7 billion, according to the US-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).

It said on June 2 that April sales fell 25% from April last year when sales were US$20.9 billion. All sales numbers represent a three-month moving average of global semiconductor sales.

"The better-than-expected 6.4% sequential increase in April sales was driven by moderate improvements in a number of end-demand drivers and inventory replenishment," said SIA president George Scalise.

He said the personal computer (PC) market - a major consumer of semiconductors - has been stronger than predicted earlier in the year.

Consensus forecasts project PC unit sales in 2009 will decline by about 6% compared to earlier forecasts of a decline of 12%.

"Analysts are also more optimistic about cell phone unit sales, which are now projected to decline by around 7% compared to earlier forecasts of 15%. PCs and cell phones account for nearly 60% of all semiconductor consumption," Scalise said.

However, the worldwide automotive market, which accounts for about 7% of total semiconductor sales, remained weak.

Corporate IT spending had also lagged normal patterns as companies lengthened replacement cycles.

The consumer electronics sector presents a mixed picture: analysts project increased unit sales of digital televisions and hand-held game players and lower unit sales of most other consumer electronics products.

"Visibility remains limited," he said."Two consecutive months of sequential sales growth may be an indication of a return to more normal seasonal sales patterns in some market sectors, albeit at lower sales levels than last year," he added.

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 02 June 2009 10:52

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