Ethernet Controller Market Size (2024 - 2029)

Ethernet Controller Market Analysis

The Ethernet Controller Market size is estimated at USD 11.62 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 16.63 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 7.42% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

The increasing adoption of data centers and cloud computing in the modern digital economy drives the market. From scientific discoveries to artificial intelligence (AI), modern data centers are crucial to solving some of the world's most important challenges. These modern data centers are transforming to increase networking bandwidth and optimize workloads, like AI.

The increasing data volume heightened the need for Ethernet controllers, thereby driving the market's growth. According to the Ericsson Mobility Report, the decline in data packet charges and increased smartphone usage accelerated data traffic across India. The report estimates that the volume of mobile data traffic is expected to reach over 21 exabytes per month by 2025.

Ethernet for Control Automation Technology (EtherCAT) is based on the CANopen protocol and Ethernet. However, it differs from Internet or network communications in that it is specifically optimized for industrial automation control. Utilizing the OSI network model, Ethernet and EtherCAT rely on the same physical and data link layers. Beyond that, the two networks diverge by design as they are optimized for different tasks.

A USB-to-ethernet converter is useful in various circumstances. For example, a user's laptop's Wi-Fi option may be experiencing technical difficulties, or the user may discover that the Wi-Fi is disabled for security reasons in specific locations despite users requiring internet access. An Ethernet port and a simple adapter should suffice in such circumstances, as a cable will provide a faster and more consistent connection.

The market is expected to create a roadblock for itself to update faster on technology, as such long-duration contracts with extensions saturate the market, thus impacting its growth. When the industry trends indicate that the solution and service providers should use new and emerging technology, such as Ethernet controllers, long-term contracts can be counterproductive in the market.​ Moreover, the growing competition in the market impacts the profit margins and growth of the existing vendors. The level of competition between suppliers is so high that Ethernet controller products are transitioning to be commoditized in the world.

The unanticipated swing in demand with reduced supply led to the ramping of production by several component manufacturers, which still fell short. The primary drivers behind the growth are the continued investments in digitizing global economies, the deployment of 5G technologies, and the robust investments in data centers and cloud services. The market is expected to witness growth in the coming years, owing to the increase in the demand for high-speed connectivity, driven by the ongoing 5G smartphone ramp-up and the continued strength of the cloud. According to Ericsson, 5G subscriptions are forecast to increase drastically from 2019 to 2028 globally, from over 12 million to over 4.5 billion subscriptions, respectively.

Ethernet Controller Industry Segmentation

An Ethernet controller is a small chip that handles all the data swapped between two computers or servers through the Internet. This industry's growth is expected to be positive during the forecast period due to increased data traffic, with work cultures leaning toward remote work and BYOD devices.

The ethernet controller market is segmented by bandwidth type (fast ethernet, gigabit ethernet, and switch ethernet), function (PHY, integrated), end users (servers, routers and switches, consumer applications, and other end users), and geography (North America [United States and Canada], Europe [Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Rest of Europe], Asia-Pacific [India, China, and Japan], Latin America, and Middle East and Africa). The market sizes and predictions are provided in terms of value in USD for all the above segments.