Market Trends of Indium Phosphide Wafer Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the Indium Phosphide Wafer Market according to our research experts:
Consumer Electronics Segment Expected to Drive the Market
- Wearable technology, a developing trend, integrates electronics into daily activities and addresses the changing lifestyles with the ability to be worn on any part of the body. Factors such as the ability to connect to the internet and provide data exchange options between a network and a device are leading to the trend of wearable technology.
- According to Cisco Systems, the number of connected wearable devices globally has doubled in the span of three years, increasing from 325 million in 2016 to 722 million in 2019. The number of devices is forecasted to be over 1 billion by 2022.
- Further, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Japan), as of 2021, over 7% of households in Japan owned a wearable device. The household penetration rate of wearable devices steadily increased throughout the surveyed period (2014-2021), rising from 0.5% in 2014 to 5% in 2020.
- The rising rates of urbanization in various parts of the world have driven the demand for advanced, aesthetically appealing products that possess the ability to serve the consumers' requirements better, such as multiple features in one device and time schedules. Moreover, the vast millennial population across the globe has been quick to adopt smartwatches, owing to the increased spending ability on their regular work hours tracking and luxury standards.
- For instance, according to Ericsson, the number of smartphone subscriptions worldwide witnessed an upsurge from 5,924 million in 2020 to 6,259 million in 2021. The number is estimated to reach 7,690 million in 2027.
- Further, according to the Nokia annual mobile broadband index report 2022, the growing ecosystem of 4G-capable devices is driving the growth in 4G subscribers and data consumption. India recorded the highest-ever shipment of over 160 million smartphones, including 30 million 5G devices, in 2021, with active 4G capable devices crossing 80% and the number of active 5G capable devices crossing 10 million. The Nokia report also forecasted that user adoption will increase to 60-75% of the smartphone user base by 2025.
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Asia-Pacific Expected to be the Fastest-growing Market
- The Asia-Pacific region commands a prominent share of semiconductor foundries globally, with major companies such as TSMC and Samsung Electronics. Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and China have a significant market share in the region. According to the US Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), the US share of the global installed wafer fab capacity constantly declined from 1990 to 2020. During the same period, Asia saw a meteoric rise in developing new fabs to the point where it now accounts for a significant share of the world's capacity.
- China has a very ambitious semiconductor agenda. Backed by USD 150 billion in funding, the country is developing its domestic IC industry and plans to make more of its chips. Greater China, which encompasses Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan, is a geopolitical hotspot. The US-China trade war is compounding tensions in an area where all the leading process technology is located, forcing many Chinese companies to invest in their semiconductor foundries.
- China's new five-year plan for 2021-2025, announced in March 2021, established that boosting basic research was a critical priority. The central government's spending on basic research was expected to increase by 11% in 2021, well above the 7% planned for the overall R&D investment and the 6% target for GDP growth. Semiconductors were designated as one of the seven areas that will be given priority in terms of funding and resources. Firms involved in design develop nanometer-scale integrated circuits that perform the critical tasks that make electronic devices work, such as computing, storage, network connectivity, and power management. The profit was estimated to more than double in 2021 because of the robust chip demand. China's leading semiconductor foundry set aside a record sum for capacity development in 2022. This year, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) set aside USD 5 billion for capital spending, up from USD 4.5 billion in 2021.
- China is moving significantly closer to self-reliance in 7 nm chip production. China has made breakthroughs in its 7 nm chip-making process, reportedly developing tools and know-hows for several segments of the manufacturing process amid efforts to reduce reliance on foreign equipment and material vendors.
- The significant research and partnership growth further bolsters the market growth rate. For instance, LioniXInternational (LXI) and the Institute of Microelectronics Chinese Academy of Science (IMECAS) agreed to expand their Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) platform partnership by actively supporting the functionality and offering both platforms. The critical platforms in the PIC landscape include Silicon On Insulator (SOI), Indium Phosphide (InP), and the silicon nitride-based TriPleXplatform. These platforms are available through Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) access.
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