Global semiconductor sales edged up slightly in March, showing sequential improvement for the first time in five months.

March chip sales totalled US$26.1 billion, up 0.3 percent compared with February, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) trade group.

But total first-quarter chip sales totalled just $78.3 billion, down 5.5 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2015 and down 5.8 percent compared to the first quarter of 2015, the SIA said.

March sales were up over February – up by 4.8 percent in Japan, 2.3 percent in the Asia-Pacific region and 0.1 percent in Europe.

But sales declined by 1.1 percent sequentially in China and 2.8 percent in the Americas.