Semiconductor Sales Fall 44.6% in September

Worldwide sales of semiconductors fell 44.6% to $10.2 billion in September, but there are some signs of improvement, an industry trade group said.

September’s sales also were 2.5% below August’s level of $10.5billion--a slight improvement over the 3.5% decline from July to August, according to the Semiconductor Industry Assn.

Despite the overall slump, chip makers saw sales improvements for a broad range of products during September, said George Scalise, the association’s president.

Scalise said the industry’s recovery will be driven by demand for personal computers and wireless applications as well as other consumer products.

The Semiconductor Industry Assn.’s members account for more than 90% of U.S. chip production.