Worldwide sales of semiconductors for October 2013 came to US$27.06 billion, up 7.2% from US$25.24 billion a year ago, according to SIA. Compared to US$26.85 billion in the prior month, chip sales for October represented growth of 0.8%.

　　October marked the eighth consecutive month of increasing sales and the industry's first-ever month above US$27 billion in sales, said SIA.

　　"The industry is projected to maintain solid growth for the remainder of 2013 and into 2014, led largely by the Americas, which has remained well ahead of last year's pace," noted SIA president and CEO Brian Toohey.

　　Regionally, October sales in the Americas increased 20.1% compared to October 2012, while sales in Europe and Asia Pacific saw on-year growth of 8.6% and 7.4%, respectively. October sales in Japan, however, fell 12.1% from a year earlier in part due to the devaluation of the yen.

　　On a sequential basis, October sales increased in the Americas (3.3%), Europe (1.7%) and Asia Pacific (0.1%), but decreased 1.4% in Japan.

　　In addition, SIA has endorsed WSTS' (World Semiconductor Trade Statistics) forecast for global semiconductor sales in 2013. WSTS predicts that worldwide sales of semiconductors will rise 4.4% to US$304.3 billion in 2013, which would be the industry's highest-ever annual sales total. Sales in the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe will register growth of 10.3%, 7.2% and 4.3%, respectively, in 2013, while sales in Japan will experience a 14.5% decline.

　　WSTS also forecasts that semiconductor sales worldwide will climb further to US$316.6 billion in 2014, a 4.1% increase, followed by another 3.4% growth in 2015.