The future Indian semiconductor market is like a growing
elephant (slow but big). If not by revenue atleast by unit-volumes,
this elephant-calf will grow in another 4/5 years (by 2014)
into an well fed adult elephant. The microcontroller and
SoC class semiconductor devices will be topping the list.
Though there is no single nm fab in India but lot of VLSI
design work is under progress in this region. The leading
Europe based semiconductor vendor ST Micro's Daimen Laconte,
regional marketing director, MMS Division, Asia-Pacific
shared his know-how on India's microcontroller market in
this Q & A session.
Q1. What is new in the Indian Microcontrollers (MCUs)
market otherwise what is happening in the Microcontrollers
markets in India?
Daimen Laconte: We are seeing new emerging applications
based on the microcontrollers basically in the field of
lighting for both ballast and LED display panels. Another
sector which is growing is Telecom, where microcontroller
need is seen in several blocks of power interface units
for network towers. Vehicle tracking system is another application
where new microcontroller based designs are being developed.
UPS, Home inverter, Energy meter and automotive are the
stable markets which already existed and have flat growth
in H1 this year.
Technology shift towards the sine wave inverter have also
increased the usage of inverters in the domestic segment.
The lower operation costs of running an inverter compared
to generator sets have resulted in marked growth in the
industry.
Q2. What is your view on the Indian Microcontrollers
market, from manufacturing point of view?
Daimen Laconte: There are number of semiconductor
companies who are designing microcontrollers in India but
manufacturing is done outside India. However, manufacturing
of microcontroller based applications is growing in India
as the number of applications are increasing.
Q3. In which vertical, globally and in India, the
demand for Microcontrollers is growing? Or which vertical/industry
is consuming maximum Microcontrollers in terms of both value
and volume? What is your company's share in India?
Daimen Laconte: According to market sources and
ISA report, largest volume is consumed by inverters, UPS
and energy meters. ST has a good share in these applications.
Q4. What are the changes you have seen in the Microcontrollers
field in the last few years? Explain the latest products
available from your company in the market ?
Daimen Laconte: In last few years a transition
is seen from 8-bit to 16/ 32-bit. New applications are moving
to 32-bit based applications with more enhanced features,
real time, low power and low cost operation.
The STM32 family of 32-bit Flash Microcontrollers is based
on the breakthrough ARM Cortex-M3 core - a core specifically
developed for embedded applications.
The STM8S family of general-purpose 8-bit Flash microcontrollers
offers ideal solutions for industrial, consumer and appliance
market requirements. An advanced core version combined with
a 3-stage pipeline ranks the STM8S microcontroller in the
top position for performance with 20MIPS at 24Mhz.
Q5. What is the latest development in Microcontrollers
field that is being discussed in the industry and is still
under development? Please explain the latest research and
development program being carried out by your company for
Microcontrollers?
Daimen Laconte: Low power Microcontrollers with
maximum features are needed for portable applications and
for low power consumption needs for various other applications.
Ultra low power microcontroller is still under development.
Q6. Among the option of importing Microcontroller
devices and buying locally, which is the best option?
Daimen Laconte: Due to higher Import duty purchasing
from local market is cheaper, so customers prefer to buy
it from distributors and also it is available to them in
Indian Rupees than US$.
Q7. What had been the achievement of your company
in the Microcontrollers segment? What makes your product
different from the rest available in the market?
Daimen Laconte: ST has a good spread in the customer
base in UPS, inverter and energy meter. Our Cortex based
STM32 is gaining market share as it is a product which suits
the market requirement both in terms of performance and
price as compared to competition.
Overall the STM8 and STM32 families have an excellent performance
to cost ratio and allow our customers to design innovative
and competitive products with ease, thanks to the complete
tool chains and the software libraries available for download
on www.st.com/mcu .
Q8. Can you elaborate on your company's business
plans for India in the coming years?
Daimen Laconte: We plan to have product promotions
and focus marketing programs in the field of UPS, Inverter,
Energy meters, lighting, telecom and medical applications
. ST is focusing on developing microcontrollers to cater
to India market needs.
Q9. What are the buying tips you would like to suggest
buyers/users of Microcontrollers in different verticals?
What are the exclusive supports you provide for your customers?
Daimen Laconte: Customers should buy from authorised
distributors. ST India has complete support from providing
samples to development boards and application lab to support
all needs of the customer.
