After a Flat Year, Semiconductor Market
Expected to Rebound
Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide

Following a relatively flat year, in terms of semiconductor revenue, Databeans expects the market to strengthen on mounting demand for chips used in multiple segments, including several areas beyond typical computer applications. The first quarter of this year should continue the positive momentum coming off of the fourth quarter - this will pull up annual revenue growth...

Olympics Bring Wireless Suppliers to China
Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide
 

Beijing, China, will be the home of the 2008 Summer Olympics, and already, over two years prior, this event is being considered as a huge business opportunity for both foreign and domestic enterprises. Beijing itself has pledged to invest over $23 billion toward preparation for the Games; and at least 15 percent of the budget will be spent on information technologies. Plans for new technological infrastructure include fiber optic networks, HDTV digital network, and of course, the already large Chinese mobile communications network will need to be increased...

Intel Continues Dominance in 2005 Semiconductor Market
Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide

For the most part, 2005 was a relatively flat year for semiconductors, although there were a few highlights. Consumer electronics products such as cell phones, portable music devices, digital TVs, DVD recorders, and digital cameras, all increased demand for semiconductor content, especially power management and ASIC/ASSP components. Databeans estimates that semiconductor revenue will be up 15 percent in 2006, totaling $259.6 billion for the market...

Pressure Sensors Market to Double by 2011
Sensors and Actuators Markets – Worldwide
 

Pressure sensors are the smallest segment of the general sensors market, and they are sometimes over looked in favor of the components that support more exciting or glamorous applications. Pressure is strictly defined as “force per unit area,” and the force required to generate that pressure can come from different sources, as in from fluid or from weight. Pressure sensors are found mostly in automotive applications, with some applications in industrial process & automation, and a small but growing market for them in the medical segment...

New Thermal Management Products
Provide “Cool” Solutions
Sensors and Actuators Markets – Worldwide

Today’s electronic application designs are shrinking in size at a rate similar to the growth of complexity in semiconductor components.  Temperature management becomes a real issue with more complex designs residing on smaller boards. The importance of thermal management is gaining momentum, providing a strong market opportunity for devices servicing this function.  Temperature sensors play a vital role in today’s electronics, providing systems with protection against malfunction and/or failure due to excessive heat dissipation...

Medical Electronics: Coming to a Home Near You
Industrial Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide

Medical electronics constitute a small but very attractive part of the industrial semiconductor market. In 2005, the medical segment represented 8 percent of the $25.9 billion global industrial semiconductor market, or about $2.1 billion. Medical electronics is the fastest growing segment in the industrial semiconductor market, with an average growth rate of 11 percent per year. Databeans divides this segment into three major categories: Home, Imaging, and Diagnostics & Therapy.  The market segment is expected to exceed $4 billion in revenue by year 2011...

Clock Generation Market to Double in Five Years
Computer Logic Markets – Worldwide

System support ICs are application-specific components that are designed to be supporting circuits in electronics applications that use dedicated processors. Databeans estimates that in total this market will be valued at about $5 billion for 2006. The majority of these components, almost a two-thirds share, is comprised of memory controllers, most of which are for computing applications. For example, in a typical design, a memory controller, whether it is integrated or not, performs the function of controlling data between memory and microprocessors...

Pump it up – Advances in Digital Audio
Analog Application Specific IC Markets – Worldwide

The journey toward transitioning the audio world into pure digital technology architecture has received a major boost. There has been lots of discussion, and new technology released of late, pertaining to digital (or Class D) amplifiers in the digital audio market. Due to lower performance and lackluster power efficiency, digital power amplifiers were usually reserved for those audio applications where consumers had the lowest expectations for sound quality. Now reaching new levels of power and dynamic range (the ratio of the loudest possible sound to the smallest possible hum), digital amplifiers are expected to rock the $1.9 billion consumer audio amplifier market...

Big Market Results in Store for Miniature MEMs Devices
Sensors and Actuators Markets – Worldwide

MEMs devices have been around since the 1980's, but it appears that this market has finally achieved mass market acceptance thanks to demand for everything from DLP TVs to implantable drug pumps. MEMs devices are very small machines that have been combined with silicon to provide equipment with circuit solutions and moving parts. The inkjet printer market benefits from this technology, as the tiny devices are used in print heads, constituting 25 percent of the worldwide MEMs market. However, the rear projection television market is expected to gain share and bypass the print head MEMs business within the next few years...

Databeans 2005 Forecast
Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide

It almost goes without saying that 2004 was a huge growth year for the semiconductor industry. Led by memory products and logic, the overall market was up an estimated 28 percent over the previous year. There were gains seen in every semiconductor category, from optoelectronics and sensors to MOS Micro and the discretes. Analog ICs alone grew an estimated 17 percent with over $31 billion for the year...

Texas Instruments Remains on Top of the Analog Market
Analog IC Markets – Worldwide

Texas Instruments remains at the top of the analog integrated circuit market, outperforming the industry and growing share from 13% in 2003 to 14% in 2004. The company’s closest rival is STMicroelectronics. With an estimated $4.2 billion in analog revenue, STMicro is the second largest supplier, close behind Texas Instruments. All together, these two companies control nearly one-third of the market. Overall analog integrated circuit sales have performed nicely over the past two years...

More Storage Please…
Computer Logic Markets – Worldwide

The computer market is by far the largest for mass storage ICs. Computers account for over 70 percent of total revenue, however new opportunities from other market segments are gaining momentum as OEMs begin replacing designs using Flash memory, with “Tiny” drives. These magnetic drives are less than an inch in size and, like Flash, will continue to retain information when the power is switched off. Another trend continuing is the use of hard drives in consumer video components...

Faster I/O Interface
Computer Logic Markets – Worldwide

Demand for Ethernet ICs is healthy, as many companies are currently involved with networking infrastructure upgrades, having waited through the worst of budget constraints. Also, much of the equipment is being replaced because it has expired or because it is no longer supported by vendors, as well. Demand is especially high in the Asia Pacific region due to increasing demand for service, as technological advancements, and greater production require more resources...

China’s Analog Market Races Ahead
Analog IC Markets – Worldwide

The world recognizes China as a major manufacturing region and a heavyweight in the analog semiconductor market. China accounts for 57 percent of overall Asia Pacific analog revenue ($14 billion) and 25 percent of the global analog market ($31 billion). In our recent comprehensive study, “2005 Analog”, we detail the current and estimated future growth rates for China and for other countries as well. China is expected to grow share of global analog revenue quickly. Revenue share for this country could reach close to 40 percent over the next five years, resulting in a market size of $23 billion...

Mobility, Connectivity, and Convergence…Exciting
 

I recently read an article that said the semiconductor market wasn’t an exciting place. While market conditions are volatile in this industry, it is by no means unexciting. There are so many things happening today that will catapult growth for this industry far into the future. VoIP, Wi-Fi, Mobile Video, DVD audio, DLP™ televisions, the list goes on. In fact, I believe that there is a somewhat unscientific correlation between industry performance and Tiger Woods, the “Woods effect”. After an incredible 2000 and 2001, where Tiger won the US Open, the British Open, the PGA Championship, and the Masters, things died down a bit and he began to rework his swing. This year, Tiger is back and beyond compare...

Medical Electronics Pumping Ahead
Industrial Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide

The medical electronics industry is controlled by some familiar brand names, OEMs that include giants GE Healthcare, Philips Medical, and Johnson & Johnson, which is the market leader of the general healthcare products industry. Medical electronics is continuing to present a strong growth opportunity for semiconductors. According to Databeans latest study, “2005 Semiconductors in Medical Electronics”, the medical market for chips will reach over $2 billion in 2005. With a compound annual growth rate of 11 percent each year for the next five years, Databeans expects the opportunity to reach $3.5 billion by 2010...

Consumer Chip Demand Escalating
Analog Application Specific IC Markets – Worldwide

While time to market continues tightening, consumer electronics manufacturers have been able to capitalize on emerging behaviors, including our desire to have access to digital media while out and about, our desire to stay connected with high speed reliable access, and our desire to have media choices that are customized to our specific taste. All these emerging behaviors are developing a fruitful market for semiconductor suppliers in the consumer space...

Digital Power to Shake up Power Management Market
Standard Linear Markets – Worldwide
 

Digital power has been around for sometime, but several hurdles need to be overcome before its real potential is realized. Digital power products essentially incorporate analog power functions around a digital core that can be programmed. Sometimes this is a DSP and sometimes a microcontroller. Demand has been subdued in the past due in part to the learning curve associated with software programming for power design engineers...

Analog Component Sales Help Drive Demand
for ICs in Automotive
Analog Application Specific IC Markets – Worldwide

USA Today recently quoted a study of new car average cost, published as Comerica Auto Affordability Index. The study concluded that the average price of a car has risen to almost $28,000, as of the third quarter of 2005. Some have theorized that the seemingly high prices are due to increased financing costs (the study looked at total cost)...

Analog Revenue Ranking Unchanged for 2005
Analog IC Markets – Worldwide

According to this year's earnings reports for the top analog companies, it appears that Texas Instruments has strengthened its lead in the analog market, while the other players' rankings remain intact. While the finalized figures are not yet public, Databeans estimates that Texas Instruments gained share in 2005, from 13.9 percent in 2004 to 16.5 percent in 2005, representing an annual growth rate of 21 percent. It appears that the rest of the industry has experienced very little growth since 2004...

Databeans Predicts
Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide

In tracking an industry that craves factual certainty, driven by the high risk of expansion, and an even loftier price for coming in second or third, Databeans presents our 2004 outlook for leading product lines in the semiconductor market. Checking back on our January 2003 projection for the semiconductor industry, it appears that the market performed as Databeans predicted, an increase to roughly $165 billion worldwide (our projection published last January was $164.6 billion)...

2003 Analog Market Share
Analog Markets – Worldwide

2003 saw a definite improvement in analog market conditions. Strong growth in power management, mixed signal and wireless specific products helped advance the analog market up 12% in 2003. Databeans expects this trend to continue due to improved performance in the other application specific markets, which should pull the overall analog market up 18% this year...

Integrated Circuit Demand in China
Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide

Databeans Inc. has just completed a primary research project on integrated circuit demand in China. With a population of 1.3 billion people, China is the largest developing country in the world, and it has tremendous potential for growth. Databeans estimates that due to rapid growth in telecommunications manufacturing, and growing capacity in the consumer and computer markets, China's IC consumption in 2009 will amount to 25 percent of worldwide IC revenue, or $69 billion...

Foundry Analog Production
Analog Markets – Worldwide

Due to rapid growth in the number of new entrants into the mixed-signal and analog ASSP supplier base, and the continued efforts by existing players to control costs, Databeans concludes that foundry production of analog is on the rise. Databeans estimates that while large independent device manufacturers continue to produce the majority amount of product internally, the outsourcing trend has kicked up and foundries now account for close to 30 percent of global analog production. This amounts to a market value of over $7.5 billion...

Semiconductor Consumption in Medical Electronics
Applications Markets – Worldwide

Medical applications that use semiconductors make up 34% of the total medical device market, which is estimated at $174 billion. Databeans estimates that revenue from these electronic applications combined, is growing at an average annual growth rate of 18% over the next five years, resulting in a market worth $179 billion by 2009. This is slightly higher than the entire medical device market today...

Growth Continues for High Performance Analog
Analog Markets – Worldwide

High performance analog products are high-speed, high resolution, and highly efficient. Examples of products include high-speed LVDS interface, high resolution application specific mixed-signal used in base stations, highly efficient Class D audio power amplifiers used in consumer electronics, and efficient switching regulator ICs. High speed analog revenue is estimated at $8.2 billion in 2003...

Databeans Predicts Strong Growth for
High Volume Analog ASSPs
Analog ASSP Markets – Worldwide

Consumer and computer products can typically require analog content worth $20, in terms of ASP, including both application specific solutions and high performance linear products. Wireless handsets contain $10 to $15 worth of analog and mixed-signal products, including charge controllers, power supply ICs, mixed-signal audio, and transceivers...

Strong Growth Expected for Clock
Generation and Distribution Revenue
Computer Logic Markets – Worldwide

Clock generation and distribution products are required to support microprocessor based electronics. In a PC, for example, several copies of a clock signal, originating from an oscillator are required for the other circuits to function harmoniously. Clock generation devices are used to produce these copies. Clock distribution circuits are then used to distribute the generated clock signals and synchronize system operations...

Market Dynamics in Automotive Semiconductor Markets
Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide

The automotive market has recently attracted new attention (and some re-visitation) from semiconductor suppliers around the globe. In 2001, when the worldwide semiconductor market dropped by 32 percent, the automotive semiconductor market dropped only 1 percent. This has been a very stable market over the last few years and suppliers have taken notice...

The Industrial Semiconductor Market
Industrial Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide

The industrial market has regained momentum of late, primarily driven by disappointing performance in the higher volume markets in the not so recent past. And no wonder. This is not a small market by any means, reaching nearly $14.5 billion this year...

Power Surge
Analog Markets – Worldwide

Power management continues to quietly outperform several of the more celebrated product markets, including microprocessors. And while much of the growth attributed to the strong market in 2004 was compounded by rising prices and increased unit demand in the DRAM market, power management continued to deliver strong results that match the performance of the overall semiconductor market...

Current Outlook - Semiconductor Markets
Semiconductor Markets – Worldwide

Albert Einstein once said, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” Such is the complexity of the sometimes-dismal science of economics. While current expectations are for significant growth in the semiconductor industry this year, the growing possibility of military actions in Iraq could lead to a detour and impact momentum...

Analog Consumption in China
Analog Markets – Worldwide

A rising number of factors have contributed to China’s solid growth in IT manufacturing and resulting expansion in the economy’s electronics exports. Domestic demand has also risen for IT products, adding to the opportunity for analog component suppliers...

Wireless Specific IC Market 2003-2008
Analog Markets – Worldwide

Wireless communications has fast become the technology of choice in all facets of commerce. From manufacturing to sales, global business continues to integrate new systems that share data and communications over wireless networks, providing an ample opportunity for wireless chip suppliers around the world...

High-Speed Linear
Analog Markets – Worldwide

Integrated circuits used in modern electronics are characterized by several attributes: bandwidth, size, power consumption, and others. But speed is emerging as an increasingly required advancement. In the linear analog market, demand for high-speed products includes interface line drivers, high-speed amplifiers, and high-speed converters...

3G Wireless Networks
Analog Markets – Worldwide

Next-generation wireless networks promise increased subscriber capacity, advanced services, and faster data rates. The 3G market emerged in Japan first, but is now advancing into Europe and North America, providing a growing volume opportunity for wireless analog products and digital processing...

Standard and High-Performance Linear
Analog Markets – Worldwide

Functional standard analog blocks are required in every application - from I/O to signal conversion. The notion that specialization will continually eat away at the commodity market, as suppliers innovate and integrate everything onto “one chip,” is still widely held by many industry pundits. Because of this the prevailing forecasts call for higher growth in the application specific markets versus high performance and commodity analog...