The semiconductor industry started 2024 with growing confidence that it left its latest cyclical downturn behind in 2023, and is hailing a “turning point” for the $600 billion market. The latest figures from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), which represents most global chipmakers, show that worldwide sales climbed to $48 billion in November, rising on both an annual and quarterly basis for the first time in more than a year. Monthly sales peaked above $50 billion during the first half of 2022. The SIA’s World Semiconductor Trade Statistics unit forecast a “vigorous upswing” in 202…