Recovery is apparent in the semiconductor industry's fourth-quarter results,and sales will sustain modest growth in 2006.

摘要

The semiconductor industry slowdown in 2005 didn't quite happen,according to reports.Global chip sales hit a record US227.5 billion in 2005,up 6.8% from 2004,says the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA;San Jose,CA).Strong demand for semiconductors in consumer electronics such as personal computers,cell phones,digital cameras and TVs,and MP3 players drove the growth,despite record energy prices and natural disasters,SIA says.Silicon wafer area shipments increased 6% to 6.6 billion square inches in 2005,says Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) Silicon Manufacturers Group (San Jose).