Semiconductor sales grew 9.4 percent year over year in May, fueled by strong demand for mobile phones and consumer electronics, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said Monday.Global chip sales rose to US$19.7 billion in May, up from $18.1 billion during the same month last year, and also up slightly from April.Healthy sales of personal computers also contributed to strong chip demand, the SIA said, pumping up dynamic RAM growth to 13.7 percent in May. But heavy demand for chips isn’t driving up prices. Users are benefiting from strong competition, since the average price of a notebook computer dropped below $1,000 for the first time, the SIA noted. Chip sales should remain strong going forward. “We expect to see global semiconductor sales running nine percent to 10 percent ahead of last year’s pace for the next several months. End market demand, inventory levels, and capacity utilization all indicate generally favorable conditions for the industry,” said George Scalise, president of SIA, in a statement.The industry association, which has represented chip companies since 1977, in June raised its forecast for 2006 worldwide chip sales growth to 9.8 percent from 7.9 percent. -Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service (Taipei Bureau)Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost From edge to cloud: The critical role of hardware in AI applications The rise of generative artificial intelligence By Broadcom Jun 06, 2023 5 mins Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence brandpost The new value calculator: Levers for business optimization Squeezing maximum value out of your data is not only about cost-savings—it’s time to create significant potential by transforming your competitive position. By Sandrine Ghosh Jun 06, 2023 5 mins Data Management brandpost The new wave of data observability Innovative ‘applied observability’ can detect issues and diagnose their root causes swiftly and effectively. By Sandrine Ghosh Jun 06, 2023 4 mins Data Management brandpost Let Business Needs Guide Your Winning Data Team With skill shortages continuing, IT leaders must optimize their data science team investment. Start with your organization’s key objectives. By Paul Gillin Jun 06, 2023 3 mins Business Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe