The global semiconductor industry posted record sales totaling US$335.8 billion in 2014, an increase of 9.9% from the 2013 total of US$305.6 billion, according to SIA.

Sales for December 2014 reached US$29.1 billion, marking the strongest December on record, said SIA. Sales totaled US$87.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014, up 9.3% from the total of US$79.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013.

"The global semiconductor industry posted its highest-ever sales in 2014, topping US$335 billion for the first time thanks to broad and sustained growth across nearly all regions and product categories," said John Neuffer, president and CEO of SIA. "The industry now has achieved record sales in two consecutive years and is well-positioned for continued growth in 2015 and beyond."

Logic was the largest semiconductor category by sales, reaching US$91.6 billion in 2014, a 6.6% increase compared to 2013, SIA said. Memory (US$79.2 billion) and micro-ICs (US$62.1 billion) – a category that includes microprocessors – rounded out the top-three segments in terms of revenues.

Memory was the fastest growing segment, increasing 18.2% in 2014, SIA noted. Within memory, DRAM performed particularly well, increasing 34.7% on-year. Other fast-growing product segments included power transistors, which reached US$11.9 billion in sales for a 16.1% annual increase, discretes (US$20.2 billion/10.8% increase), and analog (US$44.4 billion/10.6% increase).

Annual sales increased in all four regional markets for the first time since 2010, SIA said. The Americas market showed particular strength, with sales increasing 12.7% in 2014. Sales were also up in Asia Pacific (11.4%), Europe (7.4%), and Japan (0.1%), marking the first time annual sales in Japan increased since 2010.