Market Trends of NOR Flash Memory Industry
Consumer Electronics End-user Industry Segment is Expected to Hold Significant Market Share
- Currently, the consumer electronics segment is one of the most prominent segments in the market. NOR flash is often deployed as an embedded device for code execution in many portable consumer products, such as cameras, wearables, or mobile phones. As such, the significant growth in the usage of these products in recent years is driving the demand for the market studied.
- For instance, according to the 2023 US Consumer Technology Ownership and Market Potential Study, despite complex economic times, about 84% of US households make plans to purchase tech products in the next 12 months, with mobile and wireless tech products leading the categories of tech products that consumers want to buy.
- Moreover, smartphones are omnipresent in US households, and 37% of households plan to buy a new smartphone in the next 12 months, out of which 99% will be repeat buyers, indicating a saturated but loyal technology market. As a result, in 2023, there were almost 8.9 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide, up from around 8.6 billion the previous year. The number of subscriptions exceeded 8 billion for the first time in 2019, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- The commercialization of 5G proliferates global trends in the market studied. For instance, the significant transition toward 5G accelerates the demand for advanced mobile devices. According to the Ericsson Mobility Report released, 5G mobile subscriptions are anticipated to reach 5.3 billion by the end of 2029.
- Further, during the third quarter of 2023, 163 million 5G subscriptions were added to make up a total of 1.4 billion. Such events are also expected to drive the demand for consumer electronics, thereby boosting the growth of the market studied.
China is Expected to Hold a Major Market Share
- The rising trend of portable electronic devices and the penetration of advanced technologies, such as IoT, in China are among the factors driving the growth of the NOR flash memory market. The increase in consumer electronics sales in China is escalating the development of the NOR flash market.
- According to the State Council, China's consumer electronics industry has grown steadily over the past few years. In the first seven months of 2023, computer, communications, and electronic device manufacturers saw their profits rise to CNY 276.32 billion (about USD 38.39 billion). In 2023, mobile phone production reached 810 million units, including 593 million smartphones.
- The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance stated that China plans to surge the supply of high-end electronic devices to increase consumption and strengthen the economy. China will strive to ensure that 5G mobile phone shipments account for over 85% of the domestic mobile phone market by 2024. These initiatives will encourage NOR Flash memory manufacturers to develop in-house and support the country's economy.
- The concentration of electronics manufacturing in China has laid a foundation for the substantial development of IoT products in the country, further stimulated by high domestic consumer demand. Heavy state-led spending on enabling infrastructure has a great advantage on IoT development in China. For instance, China announced a three-year plan for new IoT infrastructure development (2021-2023), aiming to complete new IoT infrastructure in major cities by 2023. These initiatives are expected to fuel the growth of IoT-enabled smart devices and facilitate the market’s growth.
- China has been recognized as one of the leaders in the automobile and transport industry due to the consistent performance of the national market and its immense potential. In addition to strengthening its position as the world's largest car manufacturer, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology projects that domestic vehicle production will reach 35 million by 2025. Furthermore, it is projected that by 2025, the market share of BEVs in a new energy passenger car category will be 84% and lead to significant technical developments, such as integrating ADAS into BEVs based on projections from the Chinese automotive logistics market.
- According to CAAM, China's new energy vehicle sales amounted to 846,000 units, 808,000 of which were passenger EVs, and 39,000 were commercial electric vehicles during August 2023. Sales of BEVs and PHEVs were 559,000 and 248,000 vehicles, respectively. China is expected to have reached a threshold for adopting smart driving systems by 2024. Increased adoption of AD levels could shorten the vehicle replacement cycle, which is scheduled to be shorter. Intensive consumer education and media exposure, which will accelerate the shift of Chinese consumers toward intelligent driving, is likely to accompany a rise in supply.