“Global chip sales posted a third consecutive monthly increase in May, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported Monday.
Worldwide chip sales totaled $12.5 billion in May 2003–up 2 percent from the $12.26 billion in revenue reported in April 2003 and a nearly 10 percent increase from May 2002.
The SIA also maintained its outlook for demand in the second half of the year as wartime anxiety has subsided and as health organizations worldwide have brought under control the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which had hit Asian economies especially hard. Other researchers also have expressed optimism for the semiconductor market this year. ” [News.com]