Tremendous growth of GaN LED shipments

IMS research has reported more than 100 billion Gallium Nitride light-emitting diodes (GaN LED) will ship in 2013. GaN LEDs account for 85 percent of total revenues in the LED industry, dominating key applications such as TVs and lighting, as per IMS. Revenue for GaN LEDs this year will pass the $10 billion mark, notes Jamie Fox, principal analyst for Lighting and LEDs at IHS. “If we consider the total LED market—including AlInGaP, GaN and other LED types—the $10 billion revenue and the 100 billion unit shipment levels were actually reached in 2010. But now in 2013, both of these thresholds are predicted to be attained by the GaN LED market alone, showing how large the segment has become.” IMS forecasts revenue in 2013 to double from that of only four years ago, while unit shipments this year will have more than tripled since 2009. IMS says "Even so, growth on an annual basis has been fairly uneven. In 2010, for instance, the annual revenue increase was the largest by far in the history of the LED industry, but revenue was flat the year after. Growth then returned in 2012, climbing 15 percent. This year, revenue is forecast to be flat once again or see very little expansion, but the market can take comfort in industry total takings of $10.2 billion." IMS finds within the GaN LED space, the market this year for GaN LEDs in lighting is projected to reach $3.4 billion...