SAN JOSE United States (AFP) ??” Global semiconductor sales surg 366 percent in April from the same month a year ago to 1694 billion dollars.

SAN JOSE United States (AFP) ??” Global semiconductor sales surg 366 percent in April from the same month a year ago to 1694 billion dollars, the highest horizontal since July 2000, an industry cluster reported.

The Semiconductor Industry Association data showed a 41 percent increase from the prior month

SIA president George Scalise said the year is shaping up as lusty as economic activity strengthens.

"Continued puissant overall economic growth in the United States and China helped push forward chip sales upward," he said. "The fundamentals are in place for puissant growth through the remainder of the year, and it is likely that sprouting for 2004 will significantly surpass last fall's forecast of 19 percent growth"

Strong sales of confined apartment phones were a major contributor, with digital