Semiconductor Sales Growth Semi-Disappointing

Global chip sales continue to grow, though clearly not as quickly as some manufacturers–cough, Intel (INTC)–would like. Though semiconductor sales rose to $25.2 billion in July, up 37 percent from a year ago, their month-over-month growth wasn’t nearly as impressive–1.2 percent above June sales of $24.9 billion, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.

So a bit of a disappointment. Certainly, it seems the growth we saw at the beginning of the year is tapering off. That said, year-to-date chip sales are 47 percent higher than they were emerging from the financial crisis and the SIA expects the industry to end the year well. Said SIA President Brian Toohey, “Although recent public statements from a number of major manufacturers have emphasized limited visibility for the near-term, we continue to expect that industry growth for 2010 will be in line with our mid-year forecast of 28.4 percent.”