The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design and research, announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $85.2 billion during the third quarter of 2015. This total marks an increase of 1.5% compared to the previous quarter, but is 2.8% lower than the third quarter of last year.
 
Global sales for the month of September 2015 were $28.4 billion, 1.9% more than last month’s sales, but 2.8% less than sales from September 2014. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.
 
Global semiconductor sales showed signs of resilience in September, increasing compared to the previous month across all regional markets for the first time in more than a year. However, softening demand and currency devaluation caused year-to-year sales to dip for the third straight month.
 
Regionally, sales were up compared to last month in the Americas (4.0%), China (2.6%), Europe (2.2%), Japan (0.5%) and Asia Pacific/All Other (0.1%). Year-to-year sales increased in China (5.0%), but decreased in Asia Pacific/All Other (-3.5%), the Americas (-3.9%), Europe (-10.6%), and Japan (-11.4%).
 
One thing proven to spur semiconductor sales globally is maintaining free and open markets. In June, SIA successfully encouraged policymakers to approve legislation to facilitate free trade agreements. In July, a major deal was struck in Geneva at the World Trade Organization to expand the Information Technology Agreement to eliminate tariffs on next-generation semiconductors called MCOs and a wide range of tech products. And in October, negotiators from around the Asia-Pacific region reached an agreement on a massive trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP would spur growth and promote innovation in our industry and throughout the U.S. economy, and Congress should approve it.
 
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) is the voice of the U.S. semiconductor industry. The semiconductor industry directly employs nearly a quarter of a million people in the U.S. In 2014, U.S. semiconductor company sales totaled $173 billion, and semiconductors make the global trillion dollar electronics industry possible.