The overall semiconductor industry has seen downtrodden numbers in recent months, and that was evident again when the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced the figures for worldwide sales of semiconductors for the first quarter of 2019.
“Global semiconductor sales slowed during the first quarter of 2019, falling short of the previous quarter and Q1 of last year by double-digit percentages,” said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. “Sales in March decreased on a year-to-year basis across all major regional markets and semiconductor product categories, consistent with the cyclical trend the global market has experienced recently.”
Geographically, March sales increased slightly in China, up 1.3% month-to-month, but decreased overall in Asia Pacific/All Other by 1.9%. Japan sales fell 4.5%, while sales in the Americas sunk 6.7%. On a YoY basis, sales were down notably in all regional markets: Europe -6.8%, Asia Pacific/All Other -9.3%, China -9.3%, Japan -11.1%, and the Americas -26.6%.
The numbers coincide with those in SEMI's latest Equipment Market Data Subscription Billings Report, which showed that North American semiconductor equipment billings continued their recent downward trend in March to a total that was down 25% YoY.
Below, see SIA's charts for Q1 2019 global semiconductor revenue, and the breakdown for March:
