For the sixth month in a row, the worldwide sale of semiconductors has increased, reaching $25.87 billion for the month of August 2013. The number represents a 6.4% increase compared to August 2012, marking the industry’s largest year-over-year growth in semiconductor sales since March 2011. Announced by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), the numbers were compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.
The steady increase of sales is due in part because of a strong demand for memory products in recent months, but sales were also growing in other categories, demonstrating the breadth of the market. Regionally, the Americas saw a 23.3% increase in sales, followed by the Asia Pacific region with 7.6% and Europe with 5%. Japan saw a 16.4% decrease, in part, however, by a devaluation of the Japanese yen.