Continuing the parade of bad news about the semiconductor industry, global chip sales fell 0.5% in April from March, with gains in the Asia/Pacific region being offset by declines in the Americas, Japan and Europe, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. The total figure of $10.38bn represented a 6.8% drop year-over-year. Asia-Pacific sales rose 4.1% from March to $2.43bn, while sales in the Americas fell 2.0% to $3.35bn, Europe fell 1.5% to $2.41bn and Japan slipped 1.8% to a total of $2.43bn. The year-over-year declines were led by the Americas and Japan, which saw sales plunge 11.6% and 14.1%, respectively, while other regions remained essentially flat.
