WASHINGTON, DC – The Semiconductor Industry Association said worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $74.65 billion during the second quarter of 2013, up 6% sequentially.

This marks the largest quarterly increase in three years, SIA says.

Global sales for June 2013 hit $24.88 billion, up 2.1% year-over-year, and up 0.8% sequentially. Regionally, sales in the Americas jumped 8.6% sequentially in the second quarter and 10.6% in June 2013 compared to June 2012, marking the region’s largest year-over-year increase of 2013, the research firm says.

Quarterly sales outperformed the WSTS industry forecast, which projected sequential growth of 4.6% globally and 3.4% for the Americas (compared to the actual increases of 6% and 8.6%, respectively).

Total year-to-dates sales of $145.1 billion also exceeded the WSTS projection of $144.1 billion. Actual year-to-date sales through June are 1.5% higher than they were at the same point in 2012.

Regionally, sales in June increased sequentially in the Americas (3.5%), Asia Pacific (0.4%), and Europe (0.1%), but declined slightly in Japan, down 0.9%.

Compared to the same month in 2012, sales in June increased in the Americas (10.6%), Asia Pacific (5.4%), and Europe (0.8%), but dropped in Japan by 20.8%, largely due to the devaluation of the Japanese yen, says SIA.