WASHINGTON — Global semiconductor sales rose nearly 10% year-over-year to a record $335.8 billion in 2014, the Semiconductor Industry Association announced today.

Global sales in December reached $29.1 billion, the strongest December on record, led by the Americas, which were up 16% from last year, SIA said.

Fourth-quarter sales were up 9.3% to $87.4 billion.

Total sales for the year exceeded projections from the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization’s industry forecast. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by WSTS and represent a three-month moving average.

"The global semiconductor industry posted its highest-ever sales in 2014, topping $335 billion for the first time thanks to broad and sustained growth across nearly all regions and product categories,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, SIA. “The industry now has achieved record sales in two consecutive years and is well-positioned for continued growth in 2015 and beyond.”  

Several semiconductor product segments stood out in 2014. Logic was the largest semiconductor category by sales, reaching $91.6 billion in 2014, a 6.6% increase compared to 2013. Memory ($79.2 billion) and micro-ICs ($62.1 billion) – a category that includes microprocessors – rounded out the top three segments in terms of sales revenue. Memory was the fastest growing segment, increasing 18.2% in 2014. Within memory, DRAM performed particularly well, increasing by 34.7% year-over-year. Other fast-growing product segments included power transistors, which reached $11.9 billion in sales for a 16.1% annual increase, discretes ($20.2 billion/10.8% increase), and analog ($44.4 billion/10.6% increase).

Annual sales increased in all four regional markets for the first time since 2010. The Americas market showed particular strength, with sales increasing 12.7% in 2014. Sales were also up in Asia Pacific (11.4%), Europe (7.4%), and Japan (0.1%), marking the first time annual sales in Japan increased since 2010.

“The US market demonstrated particular strength in 2014, posting double-digit growth to lead all regions,” said Neuffer. “With the new Congress now underway, we urge policymakers to help foster continued growth by enacting policies that promote U.S. innovation and global competitiveness.”

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