There are various levels of supply shortages in semiconductors around the world. Market research agency Omdia pointed out in its latest forecast that overall semiconductor demand growth in 2021 is higher than expected, so the shortage may continue. Among them, the shortage of key semiconductor components such as MCU, automotive-grade chips, power devices, PMICs, driver ICs, analog ICs, WiFi and Bluetooth chips is even more serious...

From the second half of 2020 to the present, there have been various levels of supply shortages for various semiconductor components around the world, but there are many reasons for the shortage.

First of all, the semiconductor industry is an industry that requires close cooperation between large and small enterprises in the global industrial chain, and it affects the whole body. The new crown epidemic has affected the production capacity of semiconductor components since the beginning of 2020, and the tension between China and the United States has further disrupted the balance of the chip supply chain, which in turn caused a chain reaction of shortages.

Secondly, the unexpected growth of automotive electronics, 5G, IOT, IT products and personal electronic products is another reason for the global shortage of semiconductors.

More importantly, the expectation of shortage of semiconductor components has triggered panic stocking, which further expanded the scope and depth of the impact of the shortage of semiconductor components. More types of chips began to be in short supply, and more industries were affected.

According to Omdia's latest forecast, the overall semiconductor demand growth in 2021 is higher than expected due to tight wafer manufacturing and packaging and testing capacity, and the current shortage of semiconductor components may continue. Among them, the shortage of key semiconductor components such as MCU, automotive-grade chips, power devices, PMIC, display driver chips, analog chips, CIS, WiFi and Bluetooth chips is even more serious, and the shortage may continue until mid-2022.

Semiconductor demand maintains steady growth

The rapid growth of new energy vehicles will promote the continued rapid growth of the automotive-grade semiconductor market. In 2019, the global automotive-grade semiconductor market size is about 41.2 billion US dollars, and it is expected to reach 72.1 billion US dollars in 2024.

Although global smartphone shipments will decline in 2020 and 2021, with the widespread popularity of mobile phone multi-camera solutions and the pull of its automotive and industrial markets, the global CMOS image sensor market is expected to grow from 2019 to 2024. From $15.1 billion to $21.5 billion.

Driven by the automotive electronics, IOT and consumer product markets, the global MCU market will maintain steady growth from 2019 to 2024, and the global market will grow from $17.5 billion to $19.3 billion.

Power devices become a hot spot in the market

Power devices mainly include power discrete devices (Transistors, diodes, MOSFETs,...), power modules (IGBT modules, IPM modules, PIM modules...) and power ICs (Power ICs, AC-DC, DC-DC regulators... ) three categories.

The downstream applications of power devices are very extensive. Industries such as automotive electronics, industrial control, solar energy, wind power, data centers, computers, lighting, rail transit, and consumer electronics are all inseparable from power devices. The agency predicts that the global power device market in 2019 will be 45.5 billion US dollars, and it is expected that by 2024, the global power device market will reach 55.3 billion US dollars.

In the downstream market of power devices, new energy vehicles are undoubtedly one of the hot spots in the market. The global production of new energy vehicles has continued to rise, and the proportion of new energy vehicles in passenger vehicles has also increased rapidly. With the emergence of new car manufacturers such as Tesla, BYD, Weilai, Xiaopeng, and Ideal, traditional car manufacturers are not to be outdone. GM, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance, BMW and other manufacturers have also improved new energy vehicles The output of power devices has also risen with the increase in the output of new energy vehicles.

At the same time, the value of power discrete devices, power ICs and electric vehicle electronic control modules for automobiles in automobiles, especially new energy vehicles, is increasing. Among the major automotive systems, the Powertrain part of the power devices has the greatest value, followed by Chassis & safety, Body and_convenience, as well as Infotainment and ADAS systems. The Powertrain subsystem of new energy passenger vehicles relies on IGBT electronic control modules to provide strong power. In this field, Infineon's IGBT electronic control modules dominate. In China's new energy passenger vehicle electronic control market in 2019, Infineon's market share reached 65% in terms of sales, followed by manufacturers including BYD Semiconductor, Mitsubishi Electric, Semikron and Denso. .

The application of SiC devices in automobiles has also become a market hotspot. Tesla uses SiC MOSFETs in its high-end models, BYD uses SiC MOSFETs in the Han EV four-wheel drive version, and Yutong also uses SiC modules in its commercial vehicles. Although the SiC market is hot, it is still in the early stage of application, and the main obstacle is that the cost is still high. In addition, the key links of the market and industrial chain are still firmly controlled by international manufacturers such as STM, Cree, Wolfspeed, ROHM, and Infineon.