KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 4): Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose 7.4% year-on-year (y-o-y) in November last year to US$31 billion from US$28.9 billion a year earlier, according to the U.S.-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).

In  statement on its website yesterday, the SIA said sales rose 2% month-on-month from US$30.4 billion last October.

It said November marked the market’s largest year-to-year growth since January 2015.

All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organisation and represent a three-month moving average.

SIA president and CEO John Neuffer said global semiconductor sales continued to pick up steam in November, increasing at the highest rate in almost two years and nearly pulling even with the year-to-date total from the same point in 2015.

“The Chinese market continues to stand out, growing nearly 16 percent year-to-year to lead all regional markets. As 2016 draws to a close, the global semiconductor market appears likely to roughly match annual sales from 2015 and is well-positioned for a solid start to 2017,” he said.

The SIA said that month-to-month sales increased modestly across all regions: the Americas (3.3%), China (2.7%), Europe (2.5%), Asia Pacific/All Other (0.7%), and Japan (0.4%).

It said year-to-year sales increased in China (15.8%), Japan (8.2%), Asia Pacific/All Other (4.8%), and the Americas (3.2%), but fell slightly in Europe (-1.6%).