導(dǎo)言：2000年，摩托羅拉發(fā)布了世界上第一部智能手機(jī)，掀開(kāi)了智能手機(jī)的新時(shí)代。蘋(píng)果iPhone的發(fā)布將智能手機(jī)的發(fā)展推向的高潮，帶動(dòng)了一切與手機(jī)相關(guān)行業(yè)的崛起，IC市場(chǎng)也不例外。最近智能手機(jī)的火爆銷(xiāo)售，使IC廠商也賺得滿缽金。

對(duì)最新的智能手機(jī)和平板電腦技術(shù)來(lái)說(shuō)，模擬集成電路在未來(lái)幾年內(nèi)可以保證發(fā)展是至關(guān)重要的，商業(yè)情報(bào)提供商GBI研究機(jī)構(gòu)的一個(gè)新報(bào)告表明。

模擬集成電路被廣泛地應(yīng)用在3G/4G 基站建設(shè)和便攜設(shè)備的電源中，同時(shí)也包括醫(yī)療成像掃描儀和電動(dòng)汽車(chē)。



GBI預(yù)言針對(duì)放大器、電壓調(diào)節(jié)器生產(chǎn)的通用模擬IC廠的銷(xiāo)售收入將以9%的復(fù)合年增長(zhǎng)率增長(zhǎng)，到2016年底將從2012年的2041萬(wàn)美元增長(zhǎng)到3135萬(wàn)美元。

而對(duì)于制造電源管理和通信芯片的特定應(yīng)用模擬IC廠的銷(xiāo)售收入將以6.8%的復(fù)合年增長(zhǎng)率增長(zhǎng)，預(yù)計(jì)將從2012年的2747萬(wàn)美元增長(zhǎng)到2016年的3815萬(wàn)美元。

GBI預(yù)計(jì)智能手機(jī)的銷(xiāo)量將對(duì)整個(gè)模擬IC市場(chǎng)的擴(kuò)展起關(guān)鍵作用。去年智能手機(jī)的實(shí)際銷(xiāo)量超過(guò)4.17億部，這是一個(gè)驚人的數(shù)字，預(yù)計(jì)到2016將至少增長(zhǎng)1億部，而客戶對(duì)新的更先進(jìn)的功能和應(yīng)用的渴望將會(huì)繼續(xù)膨脹。

由于消費(fèi)和制造數(shù)量的增加，亞太地區(qū)將在智能手機(jī)銷(xiāo)量增長(zhǎng)中發(fā)揮重要作用。在未來(lái)四年中，隨著成本的降低，模擬IC的銷(xiāo)量也會(huì)因此增加，像英特爾和臺(tái)灣半導(dǎo)體公司這樣的半導(dǎo)體公司將會(huì)帶動(dòng)大型晶圓制造廠的發(fā)展。

然而，這個(gè)行業(yè)也不是沒(méi)有問(wèn)題。 對(duì)最新功能和應(yīng)用的巨大需求和科技創(chuàng)新的不斷發(fā)展，造成了產(chǎn)品生命周期的縮短。客戶興趣經(jīng)常變化，使需求很難被預(yù)測(cè)到，所以到IC發(fā)展和準(zhǔn)備起航時(shí)，他們的應(yīng)用領(lǐng)域?qū)⒚媾R被替代的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。這樣的情況對(duì)模擬IC市場(chǎng)的企業(yè)來(lái)說(shuō)是一個(gè)潛在的噩夢(mèng)。

Unstoppable Rise of the Smartphone Will Drive Analog Integrated Circuit Market

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Technologies essential to the latest smartphones and tablets mean that the analog integrated circuit (IC) industry can look forward to guaranteed expansion over the next few years, states a new report* by business intelligence providers GBI Research.

Analog ICs are used in a wide range of applications including third and forth generation (3G/4G) radio base stations and portable device batteries, as well as medical imaging scanners and electric cars.

GBI Research predicts that the sales revenue from the general purpose analog IC industry, responsible for the production of amplifiers and voltage regulators, will grow from a 2012 value of $20.41 billion at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of approximately 9% to reach $31.35 billion by the end of 2016.

The application specific analog IC industry, which makes power management and communications chips, is expected to increase its sales revenue from $27.47 billion in 2012 to $38.15 billion in 2016, climbing at a CAGR of 6.8%.

GBI Research anticipates smart phone sales to play a major role in the expansion of the overall analog IC market. Last year the number of smart phones in existence was over 417 million – a staggering figure that is expected to grow further to just under 1 billion by 2016, as the customer appetite for new and more advanced features and applications continues to swell.

The Asia Pacific region will play a big part in this growth due to increases in both consumption and manufacturing. Over the next four years, large wafer manufacturing plants will be developed by semiconductor companies such as Intel Corporation and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, reducing costs and therefore increasing consumption for analog ICs.

The industry, however, is not without its concerns. The huge demand for the latest features and applications, combined with the ceaseless march of technological innovation, has resulted in short product life cycles. Regular shifts in customer interests make demand difficult to predict, so by the time ICs are developed and ready to be shipped, their application areas are already at risk of being replaced.  Such a scenario is a potential nightmare for businesses in the analog IC market.