Worldwide sales of semiconductors reached US$87 billion in the third quarter of 2014, an increase of 5.7% over the previous quarter and a jump of 8% compared to the third quarter of 2013, according to SIA.

Sales for September were US$29 billion, 8% higher than the September 2013 total of US$26.9 billion and 1.9% more than US$28.5 billion in August, said SIA. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by WSTS and represent a three-month moving average.

"Through the third quarter of 2014, global semiconductor sales remain strong and well ahead of last year's pace," said Brian Toohey, president and CEO of SIA. "The industry has now posted seven consecutive months of sequential monthly growth, and year-to-year growth has been strong across nearly all semiconductor product categories, with DRAM and Analog leading the way."

Regionally, chip sales in the Americas and Asia Pacific rose 2.8% and 2.5%, respectively, on month in September, while sales in Europe and Japan fell 0.1% and 1.3%, respectively. Compared to September 2013, sales increased in Asia Pacific (12%), Europe (7.9%) and the Americas (3.7%), but decreased 3.7% in Japan. All four regional markets have posted better year-to-date sales through September than they did through the same period of 2013, SIA noted.