Market Trends of Semiconductor (Silicon) Intellectual Property Industry
Consumer Electronics to be the Largest End-user Vertical
- Semiconductor intellectual property cores are widely used in consumer electronics like smartphones, gaming consoles, microwaves, refrigerators, etc. The consumer electronics industry is evolving by leaps and bounds, and consumer demand pressures are forcing vendors to offer differentiated products and be ahead of the market. Semiconductors are incorporated into communication devices such as mobile phones and home appliances such as game consoles, televisions, and home appliances.
- The invention of integrated circuits (ICs) is one of the main drivers of the development of the consumer electronics industry, such as broadband and increasingly mobile applications.
- The market is anticipated to witness robust growth driven by increased tablet and communications market smartphone sales. For instance, according to Ericsson, the number of smartphone mobile network subscriptions worldwide was estimated to increase from 6.42 billion units in 2022 to 7.74 billion units in 2028. China, India, and the United States have the highest number of smartphone mobile network subscriptions.
- Today, smart products consist of complex electronic systems that require error-free operation. Increasing data speeds, miniaturizing devices, supporting multiple wireless technologies, and extending battery life require detailed analysis. Additionally, the requirement to integrate various functions into one device complicated PCB design.
- The market for multi-core processors is growing significantly with advancements in personal computing for consumer electronics and the advent of octa-core processors for smartphones. The growth in multi-core processors is anticipated to offer robust growth opportunities for the market studied.
North America to Hold Major Market Share
- The United States is one of the major markets in the overall semiconductor market, from vendors’ and end-user perspectives. The growing need for intelligent command and control in many industries in the United States presents essential market opportunities for many semiconductor manufacturers.
- Most of the market vendors are expanding their presence in the region. Furthermore, many market vendors are US-based, which provides a competitive advantage to the regional market. The US government is also playing a significant role in developing the regional semiconductor business, supporting the semiconductor silicon intellectual property (IP) market.
- The Canadian semiconductor IP industry includes a variety of products and services that benefit a number of sectors, including consumer electronics, healthcare, transportation, and telecommunication. Semiconductor development has faced a gap in access to domestic sources of capital, especially in pre-seed, seed, and early-stage rounds and later stages across the country. This led to a significant percentage of foreign ownership across Canadian companies. At the same time, a lack of funding created an unfavorable environment for Canadian companies to exit too early.
- The market in Canada is experiencing development and innovation in areas like IoT connection, 5G, and artificial intelligence/ machine learning (AI/ML) acceleration due to prominent players like CMC Microsystems and LSI Computer Systems, Inc. driving the pace. It is anticipated that industry-academia collaboration would further solidify Canada’s position in the global semiconductor IP environment, advancing technology and boosting the industry as a whole.