Global Chips Sales Down 2.4 Percent, Floods Partially to Blame

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) is just now getting around to publishing data for chip sales in the month of November 2011, and on the surface they're not particularly flattering. According to SIA, worldwide chip sales two months ago totaled $25.1 billion, which is nothing to scoff at, but it does represent a 2.4 percent downward swing from one month prior when chip sales totaled $25.7 billion.

"Supply chain disruptions resulting from the floods in Thailand have impacted semiconductor sales in the near term, however OEM’s are expected to recover production losses over the course of the next few months," said Brian Toohey, president, Semiconductor Industry Association. "November sales were additionally affected by the continuing European financial crisis which is having a broad impact on other economies and global demand."


On a positive note, even though November chip sales had two major factors working against it -- Thailand floods and the European financial crisis -- semiconductor sales around the world still increased 0.8 percent compared to the same period one year prior. What's more, SIA predicts the industry will close out the year with growth and further improve in 2012.