The ‘actual’ worldwide chip sales in May 2004 were $16.82 billion, about half a billion dollars below the $17.32 billion three-month average announced by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) on Friday (July 2). and up 39.1 percent from the ‘actual’ sales in May 2003.
The SIA and other regional industry groups publicize sales statistics gathered by World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) as the three-month moving averages of monthly sales activity rather than the actual numbers. The SIA calculates averages to smooth out variations due to companies’ sales reporting calendars, which often make March, June, September and December five-week months thereby inflating those month’s numbers.
Chip sales in the first five months months of 2004 were $81.46 billion up 35.2 percent on the $60.3 billion recorded in the first five months of 2003. The numbers showed a gently accelerating growth for the year.Sales were driven by Asia-Pacific region, which in May was twice as large a chip market as the next largest, Japan.
The Asia Pacific region’s ‘actual’ sales figure of $7.21 billion in May was 65.7 percent ahead of sales of $4.35 billion in April 2003. In May 2004 Japan recorded $3.64 billion of sales, up percent 21.3 percent from the same month the year before.
News source: EEtimes
