Worldwide sales of semiconductor chips were up 10.5 percent from August 2005 to August 2006—reaching a record-setting $20.5 billion—and such sales also increased by 2.1 percent over July, Reuters reports via USAToday.com.The news comes from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), according to Reuters.The next highest monthly chip sales of $20.4 billion were recorded in November 2005, Reuters reports.SIA President George Scalise said in a statement, “Semiconductor devices for consumer applications showed strong sequential growth, as manufacturers began gearing up for the holiday season. [And] a sharp decline in gasoline prices appears to have boosted consumer confidence,” according to Reuters. Such consumer uses for chips as mobile phones, LCD displays and digital cameras, among others, currently employ more than 50 percent of all chips manufactured, SIA said, according to Reuters.Many experts have predicted that the worldwide chip space will see an increase in revenue of approximately 10 percent in 2006, up from $235 billion the previous year, Reuters reports. The number of chips made in the period between January and July of this year was up some 24 percent, according to Reuters. August saw DRAM chips, which are employed in PCs, take one of the top slots as far as volume of sales, with shipments up by roughly 12 percent and an approximate 20 percent boost in price when compared with August of last year, Reuters reports.NAND flash memory, which is typically used in some digital cameras and MP3 players, saw an increase in shipments but a 31 percent drop in price, according to Reuters.Revenue derived from sales of microprocessors decreased on a price drop of 18 percent, but shipments were up, Reuters reports.On the geographical level, sales increases reached all areas, with the Americas region in the lead on an 18 percent sales boost, according to Reuters. Chip production plants in Europe felt the smallest positive effect with only a 4 percent rate of growth, and the Asia Pacific region combined with Japan represented some 66 percent of all chip sales, Reuters reports.Related Links: Record Sales Spotlight DRAM Price Increase Micron Pulls Back Curtains on DDR3 DDR2 Finally Crowned DRAM King Samsung: PRAM to Replace NOR Flash MemoryCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management 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