Chip sales slip 7% in March

Worldwide semiconductor sales slipped seven per cent in March as the industry waited for oversupply to dry up.

Chip sales were $14.4 billion for the month, compared to $15.48 billion in February, according to a report from the Semiconductor Industry Association.

In March 2000 worldwide sales were $15.07 billion.

"Since last November, we have witnessed worldwide semiconductor sales continually decline due to an inventory overhang and macroeconomic factors," stated SIA president, George Scalise.

Compared to the previous March, chip sales fell in all geographical areas except Japan. Revenues dropped 10.6 per cent to $4.1 billion in the Americas, 10.4 per cent to $3.4 billion in Asia Pacific, and 0.7 per cent to $3.3 billion in Europe.

In Japan sales grew seven per cent to $3.6 billion.

The SIA expects semiconductor sales to grow 17 per cent in 2001, around half of last year's figure.

"We continue to believe that the industry will complete the inventory correction in the third quarter and the recovery will commence in the fourth quarter," said Scalise. ®

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