WASHINGTON (AP) -- Global chip sales in January rose 14 percent from a year ago to $25.5 billion, helped by the increasing use of chips in a wide range of products.
That's according to the Semiconductor Industry Association, a U.S. group whose members include Intel Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., LSI Corp. and others.
Compared to the month of December, the three-month moving average of sales for January was up 1.5 percent.
Sales to the industrial sector grew 50 percent in 2010 compared to a year earlier, while automotive sales grew 44 percent. The auto segment boom came from increased demand for chips in hybrid and electric vehicles, entertainment applications, engine controls and navigation systems.
On a regional basis, sales to the Americas in January rose 25 percent from a year ago to $4.70 billion; sales to Europe grew 13 percent to $3.31 billion; sales to Japan rose 9.6 percent to $3.83 billion and sales to Asia Pacific rose 12 percent to $13.68 billion.