Computer Chip Sales Rise 4.9% Worldwide

Worldwide sales of computer chips rose 4.9% to $10.9 billion in March from February, helped by new products from Intel Corp., the Semiconductor Industry Assn. reported. Sales were 9.9% lower than the $12.1 billion reported for March 1996, the SIA said. The industry sold $10.4 billion in chips in February 1997, said the association, which compiles sales for four major regions in the world. Sales started rising after Intel introduced its Pentium chip with MMX technology in January and computer makers launched new products. Computer chip sales rebounded from late last year, when demand for personal computers slowed. Sales in the Americas were $3.67 billion, 7.3% higher than in February. Asia Pacific sales rose 6.8% to $2.31 billion and sales in Europe rose 4.8% to $2.35 billion. Sales in Japan rose 0.2% to $2.58 billion, helped by a rising dollar, the SIA said. The trade group said the increase in sales was partly attributable to a buying pattern in the industry that historically has seen sales spike in the final month of a quarter.