Worldwide microchip sales for the third quarter of 2004 amounted to 55.2 billion dollars, an increase of 3.2 percent from the second quarter, the Semiconductor Industry Association said.

For the first nine months of the year, sales totaled 157.6 billion dollars, up 33.2 percent from the same period in 2003.

"Despite evidence of an ongoing inventory correction in some segments of the industry, the September sales figures reflect continuing growth in demand for semiconductors," said SIA president George Scalise.

"September is traditionally one of most consistently strong months for microchip sales as manufacturers of electronic products gear up for the holiday season."

Scalise said sales of personal computers and cell phone handsets appear to be stronger than expected and are contributing to growth in sales of microprocessors and other products.

Chip sales in Europe and Asia were up by 4.1 percent and 1.6 percent respectively, while sales in the Americas and Japan declined by 1.7 percent and 0.5 percent respectively, SIA said.

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