Demand was strong in most product areas. Chips for cars and cell phones sold especially well. Sales of memory chips was also above the normal seasonal increase, driven by strength in the personal computer market.
The growth, in line with expectations from most analysts, is up from around 10 percent in June and July, after which sales began to accelerate.
Sales were also up from a month earlier, rising 4.5 percent, according to monthly data from the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics group.
The sales data are a three-month-rolling average which softens the impact of sudden bursts of trading activity at the end of corporate calendar periods.
The WSTS publishes more in-depth data to paying subscribers and investment bank J.P. Morgan, which has access to these more detailed numbers, said unit sales in November explained roughly two-thirds of the revenue increase and higher average selling prices per chip were responsible for the rest.