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...