Worldwide sales of semiconductors reached US$74.65 billion during the second quarter of 2013, an increase of 6% from the first quarter when sales were US$70.45 billion, according to SIA.

　　Chip sales for June 2013 hit US$24.88 billion, an increase of 2.1% compared to June 2012 and 0.8% higher than the May 2013 total, said SIA.

　　Regionally, sales in the Americas climbed 10.6% on month in June 2013 and grew 8.6% sequentially in the second quarter, marking the region's largest on-year increase of 2013, SIA indicated.

　　"There's no question the global semiconductor industry has picked up steam through the first half of 2013, led largely by the Americas," said Brian Toohey, president and CEO for SIA. "We have now seen consistent growth on a monthly, quarterly, and year-to-year basis, and sales totals have exceeded the latest industry projection, with sales of memory products showing particular strength."

　　Quarterly sales outperformed the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization's latest industry forecast, which projected sequential growth of 4.6% globally and 3.4% for the Americas, SIA observed. Total year-to-dates sales through June of US$145.1 billion also exceeded the WSTS projection of US$144.1 billion, 1.5% higher than the levels during the same period of 2012, SIA said.