Abstract :
In the most recent figures released by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization, January 2014 was the best ever January on record, clocking in with sales figures hitting over US $26 billion worldwide. This follows the banner year of 2013, in which annual sales reached an all??time high of more than $305 billion. This marks a 35 percent increase over the depths of the post??recession slump in 2009, when global sales declined to $226.3 billion.