Worldwide sales of semiconductors reached US$30.9 billion for the month of March 2017, an increase of 18.1% compared to the March 2016 total of US$26.2 billion and 1.6% more than the February 2017 total of US$30.4 billion, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).

Worldwide sales of semiconductors for the first quarter of 2017 totaled US$92.6 billion, up 18.1% compared to the first quarter of 2016 but down 0.4% compared to the last quarter of 2016, SIA said.

“Global semiconductor sales saw solid sales growth in March, increasing sharply compared to last year and more modestly compared to last month,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO of SIA. “Global sales are up 18% compared to last year, the largest increase since October 2010, with all major regional markets posting double-digit year-to-year growth. All major semiconductor product categories also experienced year-to-year growth, with memory products continuing to lead the way.”

Regionally, on-month sales increased in Europe (5.0%), Japan (3.6%), Asia Pacific/All Other (2.9%), and China (0.2%), but decreased slightly in the Americas (-0.5%). Compared to the same month in 2016, sales in March increased across all regions: China (26.7%), the Americas (21.9%), Asia Pacific/All Other (11.9%), Europe (11.1%), and Japan (10.7%).