Semico is a semiconductor marketing & consulting research company located in Phoenix, Arizona. We offer custom consulting, portfolio packages, individual market research studies and premier industry conferences.
As electronic systems evolved to mobile devices, the importance of analog products has grown. Interfacing with the real world via cameras, touch, gesture controls, audio and video applications all require RF (radio frequency) analog functionality. In addition, power management ICs are critical to the success of these devices to reduce the power drain on the battery. These growing applications have added significant volumes to the analog unit sales.
Analog ICs are critical to nearly all electronic devices. The global electronics market will consume over 150 billion analog ICs in 2017. This translates to several analog ICs per electronic device. While analog ICs are essential to electronic systems, average selling prices have been dropping and will only command a modest $0.344 in 2017.
Many of the traditional end-use applications are experiencing slower semiconductor unit growth rates due to market saturation and reduced demand. In addition, growth rates are more moderate when the sheer volumes of a market reach levels that make it difficult to continue experiencing double-digit growth rates. While there are new applications such as those associated with the IoT (Internet of Things) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) which are expected to follow a higher growth curve over the next few years, in general, growth rates for traditional markets such as PCs and cell
Many of the traditional end-use applications are experiencing slower semiconductor unit growth rates due to market saturation and reduced demand. In addition, growth rates are more moderate when the sheer volumes of a market reach levels that make it difficult to continue experiencing double-digit growth rates. While there are new applications such as those associated with the IoT (Internet of Things) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) which are expected to follow a higher growth curve over the next few years, in general, growth rates for traditional markets such as PCs and cell
The Wafer Demand Summary and Assumptions is a quarterly publication. It includes an excel spreadsheet with annual wafer demand by product by technology from 2010-2021. Product categories include DRAM, SRAM, NAND, NOR, Other Non-volatile, MPU, MCU, DSP, Computing Micro Logic, Communications, Other Micro Logic, Programmable Logic, Standard Cell, Gate Array, Analog, Discrete, Optoelectronics, Sensors and Digital Bipolar. In addition, there is a summary write-up providing the major assumptions behind the forecast and changes from the previous quarter.
There is a great deal of design activity around emerging AI applications both at the Cloud level and for adding this type of functionality to edge devices in the form of Voice Activated Devices like the Amazon Echo and the Google Home Assistant among others. Initially, limited AI functionality is being added to SoCs in the form of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs).
There is a great deal of design activity around emerging AI applications both at the Cloud level and for adding this type of functionality to edge devices in the form of Voice Activated Devices like the Amazon Echo and the Google Home Assistant among others. Initially, limited AI functionality is being added to SoCs in the form of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs).
The Wafer Demand Summary and Assumptions is a quarterly publication. It includes an excel spreadsheet with annual wafer demand by product by technology from 2010-2021. Product categories include DRAM, SRAM, NAND, NOR, Other Non-volatile, MPU, MCU, DSP, Computing Micro Logic, Communications, Other Micro Logic, Programmable Logic, Standard Cell, Gate Array, Analog, Discrete, Optoelectronics, Sensors and Digital Bipolar. In addition, there is a summary write-up providing the major assumptions behind the forecast and changes from the previous quarter.
Semico tracks over 900 semiconductor fabs in its Fab Database. The database includes detailed information about the fabs, including the operating status of the fab, its location, process and products, wafer size and capacity, and more. The other document included with the database is a Word file containing a summary of updates made to fabs by company type: Memory, Foundries, and Other.
Major semiconductor foundries have revealed their advanced technology roadmaps for the next few years. They’re all investing billions of dollars into the development of process technologies and packaging options. The number of alternatives has been described as ‘dizzying’. How can all the foundries remain profitable? How does the customer decide which ‘route’ to take?
For the twenty-year period from the mid-1980s through the mid-2000s, process technology nodes were relatively easy to segment. Semico forecasted wafer demand into very clear process technology categories. Starting with the 45/40nm node in 2007, the two major logic manufacturers (Intel and TSMC) along with competing foundries began taking different paths. But the paths were still relatively clear. Intel rolled out their 45nm technology, and then TSMC rolled out their 40nm process. The foundries began to focus on low-power processes first. Then they followed up with their high-performance process several months to a quarter later.
Today, in addition to the number of different nodes, the challenge includes Intel’s claim that their 10nm process is comparable to the 7nm offered by other foundries. Semico believes the matching of product needs with process performance and cost will dictate market acceptance, not the marketing claims of technology-naming convention.
