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SAN JOSE – Worldwide sales of semiconductors in August were $19.1 billion, up 5% sequentially, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported today.
Sales were up sequentially in all geographic regions.
Sales declined 16.1% year-over-year.
Year-to-date sales through August were down 21.3% to $133.8 billion compared to the same time last year. The rate of decline has slowed from the first six months of 2009, during which sales declined 25% year-over-year.
All monthly sales numbers represent a three-month moving average of global semiconductor sales.
“Continuing recovery of consumer spending led the sixth-consecutive month of sequential growth in semiconductor sales,” said SIA president George Scalise. “Various incentive programs for energy-efficient products, ranging from automobiles to home appliances, have bolstered demand for semiconductors, which deliver critical enabling technology for reducing energy consumption.
“Growing sales of netbook personal computers, which now account for approximately 17% of notebook PC unit sales, have created an important new market segment, filling a gap between ‘smart cellphones’ and conventional laptop PCs,” Scalise continued. “Personal computers have become especially attractive to consumers, as average selling prices for PCs have declined by around 14%, while memory content has increased by 25% during the past year. This translates into significantly more computing power at a significantly lower price.”
Scalise noted that consumers now account for approximately 50% of all PC unit sales.
“Notwithstanding the slow recovery of demand from the enterprise sector, we are encouraged that industry momentum has turned positive following the steepest downturn in more than a decade,” Scalise concluded.
The deal is expected to close by year-end.
Reuters, quoting Elcoteq CFO Mikko Puolakka, said the deal calls for Viedocon to invest 50 million euros ($72.7 million) in the EMS firm.
It is unclear what stake the Elcoteq founders would keep if the agreement were finalized.
The news comes just two days after a deal with Kaifa in China fell through. When the Kaifa agreement failed to close, Elcoteq said a deal was about to be struck with a new investor.
TEMPE, AZ -- US manufacturing economic activity slowed but still expanded in September for the second consecutive month, according to a survey of supply executives.
DRESDEN, GERMANY – Researchers at Nanoelectronic Materials Laboratory (NamLab) have developed a dopant-free transistor that could eventually be used in printable electronics.
LUXEMBOURG -- A deal calling for Shenzhen Kaifa Technology Co. Ltd. to invest tens of millions in Elcoteq is off.
EL SEGUNDO, CA -- iSuppli Corp. raised its 2009 forecast for semiconductors and electronics equipment, citing a stabilizing economic environment and improved supply chain visibility.
MILWAUKIE, OR – ECD, a manufacturer of thermal profiling equipment and software, has trained more than a thousand engineers through its online teaching facility, the company said today.
ECD-University teaches the fundamentals of thermal quality management, as well as product and software principals and use.
Multiple classes are offered each month. Class topics range from thermal quality management to classic PCB profiling, M.A.P. software usage, and machine quality management.
“Free of charge as an industry service, all classes are live and instructor-led,” said Grant Peterson, VP marketing and sales at ECD.
For more information, visit www.ecd.com/ecdu.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Jabil Circuit reported earnings fell 90% year-over-year to $5.5 million on a 14% drop in sales, but the results still easily beat expectations.
EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Global semiconductor inventories in the second quarter dwindled to lean but appropriate levels, a leading research firm says.
APPLETON, WI – Surface Mount Technology Corp. is expanding its facility here, with plans to add a total of 25,000 sq. ft. during the two-phase project.
