News
PORTSMOUTH, UK – Despite signs of an economic slowdown in the wake of the global credit crunch, Semicast says revenues for semiconductors in industrial and medical applications will continue to grow around 8% in 2008.
“One of the defining characteristics of the industrial sector is that it does not exhibit the ‘boom-and-bust’ cycle so typical of the semiconductor industry as a whole. While in good times this means opportunities are often overlooked, during more uncertain times, the sector represents a safe bet for steady and dependable revenues. Accordingly, many semiconductor vendors are now taking a much closer look at the opportunities,” said Colin Barnden, Semicast’s principal analyst for semiconductor research.
The market for semiconductors in industrial and medical applications is estimated to have been $20 billion in 2007, up 20% compared to 2005. Demand is forecast to rise further, to more than $33 billion in 2013, a CAGR approaching 9%, totaling $183 billion during the period between 2007 and 2013, says the research firm.
In 2007, analog ICs and discretes represented the two largest product categories, followed by MCU/MPU/DSP, according to Semicast. Over the medium term, highest revenue growth is forecast for analog ICs, followed by MCU/MPU/DSP.
Demand is forecast to continue to be led by standard linear devices, with strong revenue growth also for application specific analog ICs. The need for high-precision or high-speed products is growing strongly, driving up overall ASPs and supporting continued growth, says the firm.
The vast majority of revenues in the discretes category are for power discretes, which are used widely in applications such as lighting ballast, motor drives and power supplies.
While industrial is often thought of as a sector requiring low processing performance, more than two-thirds of growth in the MCU/MPU/DSP category is forecast for 32-bit devices. x86 MPUs had the highest revenues in 2007, but ARM MCUs are forecast to see highest growth.
Revenues for PLDs/FPGAs are forecast to grow strongly in industrial applications, while revenue growth for gate array/standard cell-based devices is forecast to slow. Growth is forecast to increase with replacement of incandescent bulbs with LEDs in lighting applications and across the industrial sector as a whole.
Strong demand for image sensors is also forecast in machine vision and video surveillance, while optocouplers continue to find strong demand in the automation sector, says Semicast.
“One of the defining characteristics of the industrial sector is that it does not exhibit the ‘boom-and-bust’ cycle so typical of the semiconductor industry as a whole. While in good times this means opportunities are often overlooked, during more uncertain times, the sector represents a safe bet for steady and dependable revenues. Accordingly, many semiconductor vendors are now taking a much closer look at the opportunities,” said Colin Barnden, Semicast’s principal analyst for semiconductor research.
The market for semiconductors in industrial and medical applications is estimated to have been $20 billion in 2007, up 20% compared to 2005. Demand is forecast to rise further, to more than $33 billion in 2013, a CAGR approaching 9%, totaling $183 billion during the period between 2007 and 2013, says the research firm.
In 2007, analog ICs and discretes represented the two largest product categories, followed by MCU/MPU/DSP, according to Semicast. Over the medium term, highest revenue growth is forecast for analog ICs, followed by MCU/MPU/DSP.
Demand is forecast to continue to be led by standard linear devices, with strong revenue growth also for application specific analog ICs. The need for high-precision or high-speed products is growing strongly, driving up overall ASPs and supporting continued growth, says the firm.
The vast majority of revenues in the discretes category are for power discretes, which are used widely in applications such as lighting ballast, motor drives and power supplies.
While industrial is often thought of as a sector requiring low processing performance, more than two-thirds of growth in the MCU/MPU/DSP category is forecast for 32-bit devices. x86 MPUs had the highest revenues in 2007, but ARM MCUs are forecast to see highest growth.
Revenues for PLDs/FPGAs are forecast to grow strongly in industrial applications, while revenue growth for gate array/standard cell-based devices is forecast to slow. Growth is forecast to increase with replacement of incandescent bulbs with LEDs in lighting applications and across the industrial sector as a whole.
Strong demand for image sensors is also forecast in machine vision and video surveillance, while optocouplers continue to find strong demand in the automation sector, says Semicast.
MUNICH– Siemens AG will cut up to 15,000 jobs, including as many as 330 at its Electronics Assembly Systems unit, according to several news outlets.
A Siemens spokesman declined comment, reportedly saying, 'We will comment on this in due time.”
WASHINGTON – North American manufacturers consider the US the most desirable country for expansion over the next three years, according to a survey released today by the National Association of Manufacturers, The Manufacturing Institute, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and Deloitte.
The largest number of North American companies (44%) say they intend to expand production in the US over the next three years. And 57% say they will become more globally competitive over the next five years across the supply chain from sales, marketing and customer service to engineering and information technology.
The news, however, is not all rosy. “The survey clearly shows concerns that manufacturing companies want government to address,” said Emily DeRocco, NAM senior vice president. “Manufacturers cited controlling labor costs, enacting favorable tax policies and assisting with the severe shortage of skilled manufacturing workers, including engineers, scientists and technicians, as the top three areas that policymakers should address to help improve their global competitiveness."
Nearly 80% of respondents identified tax cuts for manufacturers as the key factor promoting innovation and R&D. “Clearly, Congress needs to extend the R&D credit that expired at the end of last year,” noted DeRocco.
The survey sheds new light on how North American manufacturers view free-trade agreements. Contrary to widely held perceptions, North American manufacturers paint a positive picture of their experiences with NAFTA after almost 15 years. Almost half (49%) say that NAFTA helped their business to become more competitive, while 10% say it has hurt their business. The remaining 41% said it did not affect them one way or the other.
“On the trade policy side, the significant competitive momentum that is felt among U.S. manufacturers in this survey is reflected by the surge in U.S. export sales that has stabilized the U.S. economy this year,” said NAM vice president, international economic affairs Frank Vargo. “This report is a clarion call to negotiate and approve free trade agreements that will knock down barriers to U.S. exports. Congress should heed the news in this report and vote to strengthen the ability of North American-based manufacturers to compete effectively in the global economy.”
The survey, Made in North America, reflects the views of 321 top-tier executives in a broad range of North American manufacturing companies of all sizes. The majority of companies represented in the survey (45%) are based in the US. To download the survey, go to www.nam.org/northamericansurvey.
The largest number of North American companies (44%) say they intend to expand production in the US over the next three years. And 57% say they will become more globally competitive over the next five years across the supply chain from sales, marketing and customer service to engineering and information technology.
The news, however, is not all rosy. “The survey clearly shows concerns that manufacturing companies want government to address,” said Emily DeRocco, NAM senior vice president. “Manufacturers cited controlling labor costs, enacting favorable tax policies and assisting with the severe shortage of skilled manufacturing workers, including engineers, scientists and technicians, as the top three areas that policymakers should address to help improve their global competitiveness."
Nearly 80% of respondents identified tax cuts for manufacturers as the key factor promoting innovation and R&D. “Clearly, Congress needs to extend the R&D credit that expired at the end of last year,” noted DeRocco.
The survey sheds new light on how North American manufacturers view free-trade agreements. Contrary to widely held perceptions, North American manufacturers paint a positive picture of their experiences with NAFTA after almost 15 years. Almost half (49%) say that NAFTA helped their business to become more competitive, while 10% say it has hurt their business. The remaining 41% said it did not affect them one way or the other.
“On the trade policy side, the significant competitive momentum that is felt among U.S. manufacturers in this survey is reflected by the surge in U.S. export sales that has stabilized the U.S. economy this year,” said NAM vice president, international economic affairs Frank Vargo. “This report is a clarion call to negotiate and approve free trade agreements that will knock down barriers to U.S. exports. Congress should heed the news in this report and vote to strengthen the ability of North American-based manufacturers to compete effectively in the global economy.”
The survey, Made in North America, reflects the views of 321 top-tier executives in a broad range of North American manufacturing companies of all sizes. The majority of companies represented in the survey (45%) are based in the US. To download the survey, go to www.nam.org/northamericansurvey.
