Semiconductor Sales Increase 21%

Semiconductor sales rose 21% in the third quarter from a year ago as companies sold more chips for products such as wireless phones, an industry group said.

Semiconductor sales rose to $36.9 billion from $30.6 billion a year earlier, said a spokesman for the San Jose-based Semiconductor Industry Assn. Sales rose 8.2% from $34.1 billion in the second quarter, the association said.

It said the increase comes as spending on capital equipment and software by U.S. companies rose by 6.5% in the third quarter.