IHS: Capacitive touch controller IC market to grow by 50%

IHS predicts capacitive touch controller IC market is predicted to reach about $2.8 billion in 2017, an increase of nearly 50 percent from $1.9 billion in 2013. Other findings by IHS: The controller IC market used in capacitive touch panels is likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.6 percent from 2013 to 2017 as the application of touch functions are expanded to various products, the report says. “The touch controller IC price is expected to drop as competition gets fierce in the market, but the capacitive touch controller IC market is likely to maintain its positive growth trend for now,” said Seung-kyu Richard Son, senior analyst at IHS Technology. “Touch solutions that can stimulate consumers’ emotions should emerge steadily in order for the market to continue to grow.” The touch controller IC, a key component that determines the performance of touch panels, is a non-memory semiconductor that transforms analogue signals into digital signals. This occurs when a user touches the screen on a device. Capacitive touch technology, the mainstream in today’s touch panel market, is leading the growth in the touch panel industry. Over the past eight years, it has steadily advanced in many areas, including structures, materials and processes. The report noted that smartphones and tablet PCs have accounted for the majority of the capacitive ...