Global sales of semiconductors grew nearly 33 percent in August to $25.7 billion compared with a year ago, the Semiconductor Industry Association said Monday.

Compared with July, chip sales climbed nearly 2 percent. Sales for the first eight months of 2010 were $194.6 billion, up 44 percent from $134.7 billion in the same period in 2009.

“PC and wireless related products along with infrastructure expansion in emerging markets, particularly in China and India, continue to drive sales,” said SIA President Brian Toohey in a statement. But he added that economic conditions in the U.S. and Europe, as well as seasonal sales patterns, “bear close monitoring.”

Still, he added that SIA “remains confident” in its full-year sales forecast of $290.5 billion, a 28 percent increase from 2009.