Darnell Group’s eleventh-edition analysis of "DC-DC Converter IC Forecasts: Applications, Amperages and Emerging Designs" is the first report to provide a quantitative forecast for the adoption of PwrSiP and PwrSoC (power supply in package and power supply on chip) products. During the forecast period of 2011 to 2016, this emerging segment will grow rapidly to become a significant revenue opportunity. In addition, this unique report identifies several other important trends in this market such as the continued, rapid adoption of digital power technologies, the continued growth in market share for switching regulator ICs at the expense of both LDOs (low-drop-out regulators) and charge-pump designs, and more.
"Leading the changes is the adoption of PwrSiP and PwrSoC," stated Linnea Brush, Senior Analyst with Darnell. "PwrSiP is actually in the forefront of this market, and it could be the ’advance guard’ that eventually leads to PwrSoC adoption. By 2016, the PwrSiP/PwrSoC market is expected to see sales of over 100 million units, since PwrSiP is already commercially available and becoming more competitive," she continued.
"During the forecast period, this segment will grow rapidly to become a significant revenue opportunity, since average selling prices for both PwrSiP and PwrSoC will be higher than other DC-DC converter IC products," Brush concluded.
Power Management ICs (PMICs) are one of the fastest-growing semiconductor market segments. The design paradigm includes both analog and system-on-chip solutions using digital techniques. Although most companies making PMICs are targeting "next generation" mobile phones, there are other applications that could provide more opportunities going forward. As a future technology, PMICs are expected to grow in usage as portable devices with multiple, advanced functions become more commonplace.
Dc-dc converter ICs are not expected to replace dc-dc modules, although packaging trends point to "hybrid" solutions that could be defined either way. The proliferation of small, portable devices that require increasingly complex powering solutions will ensure that new designs in packaging continue to appear. This also extends to non-portable systems that employ increasing numbers of voltage rails.
Because the powering needs (and challenges) of portable devices are different from those of non-portable equipment, this report discusses these two application markets separately. The top-level application segments – Communications (10 sub-segments; 5 portable and 5 non-portable), Computers (16 sub-segments; 7 portable and 9 non-portable), Consumer (10 sub-segments; 8 portable and 2 non-portable), Industrial (3 sub-segments), Medical (5 sub-segments), and Military/Aerospace (2 sub-segments) – are the same, but each segment is broken out differently to account for the differing power demands of portable versus non-portable devices.
This report contains 19 tables and 35 figures that illustrate in detail the worldwide unit market growth and the market share shifts that are projected to occur between 2011 and 2016. When applicable, company developments are highlighted to show the trends in both the applications and the converter IC products. The forecasts include cross-comparisons to identify the segment dynamics and shifts.
The 85-page, Eleventh Edition of Darnell’s "DC-DC Converter IC Forecasts: Applications, Amperages and Emerging Designs" report is available for immediate delivery.
More information on this report can be found here.
