Sales of semiconductors in November indicate that consumer products such as LCD TVs, digital music players and other devices sold well during the holidays, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said Monday.
November chip sales rose 2.3 per cent year-on-year to US$23.1 billion, the SIA said. Unit demand has far outpaced last year. But falling chip prices have hurt industry revenue, the chip association said. For example, DRAM bit shipments grew 25 per cent in the three months through mid-December, but average selling prices have declined 20 per cent over the same period.
The association also noted that rising energy prices and concerns about the sub-prime lending issue in the U.S. do not appear to have had a significant impact on consumer spending for the holidays, the SIA said. The group reiterated its forecast that worldwide semiconductor sales will reach a new record in 2007. But it will take a stronger than expected December selling season to reach the 3.8 per cent growth goal the group had forecast earlier this year, the SIA said.
