WASHINGTON, DC — Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose 14% year-over-year to $25.5 billion in January, the Semiconductor Industry Association said.

IC sales rose 1.5% sequentially on a 90-day moving average, boosted by industrial and automotive demand.

"The impressive growth in semiconductor sales over the past year has been driven by strong demand across all major end markets as the products we use everyday become smarter, faster, and less expensive,” said SIA president said Brian Toohey. “We are especially encouraged by this trend in the industrial and automotive sectors, which saw significant growth.”

Semiconductor sales to the industrial and automotive sectors saw year-over-year growth of 50% and 44%, respectively, in 2010. The integration of energy efficient tools and increased automation in industrial applications can account for some of the growth in this sector’s use of semiconductors. In the automotive sector, increased demand for semiconductor enabled technologies can be attributed to emerging hybrid and electric vehicles, entertainment applications, engine controls and navigation systems, SIA said.

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