Date: 20/06/2012

Microcontroller market in China to reach $3.53 billion in 2012, as per IHS iSuppli

IHS has reported Microcontroller (MCU) market revenue in China to reach $3.53 billion in 2012, just slightly more than $3.49 billion in 2011. By 2016, China’s MCU market will hit revenue of $4.95 billion, managing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3 percent during the forecast period, as per IHS.

The other key findings reported by IHS:

The slight blip in the growth trajectory this year for the China MCU market is the result of a strug- gling global economy that continues to be hit hard by problems in Europe and other regions. The eco- nomic challenges, in turn, are impacting sales of the devices.

China’s government also is reining in its spending, as it recently put an end to the subsidy program for the purchase of home appliances in rural areas. Moreover, the government has limited its investments in high-speed railway infrastructure. Both appliances and railways are areas where MCUs enjoy extensive use.

Industrial Driver
The largest market for MCUs in China is the industrial sector, where revenue is forecast to reach $878 million in 2012, up from $853 million in 2011. Other notable drivers for MCU revenue include the con- sumer space, projected to take in $743 million in 2012, up from $724 million in 2011, driven by products such as home appliances, TVs, video games, audio systems and more.

An impressive market for MCUs in China is the growing automotive segment, which generated $654 million in revenue last year. As China has become one of the world’s largest and important markets in the automotive space and with requirements for quality, safety and personalization demands rising, IHS believes MCUs in the China automotive space will grow substantially during the next few years, reaching $1.1 billion by 2016.

In terms of types of devices, 8-bit MCUs in 2011 still accounted for the largest market share, followed by 32-bit MCUs. The 16-bit segment is expected to gradually lose share to 32-bit MCUs in different markets because of the better performance of 32-bit products, along with the cost reductions they offer and their ability to satisfy complex requirements from end applications. As a result, the 32-bit MCU segment will enjoy a 9.4 percent revenue CAGR from 2011 to 2016, the highest growth rate in the market.
Author: Srinivasa Reddy N