RF Power Semiconductors Nearly at US$2 Billion for 2019 with 5G The Main Driver

Spending on RF power semiconductors (for <4GHz and >3W) continued to grow in 2019, nearing the US$2 billion mark, finds a global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.  The wireless infrastructure segment has turned around in a big way and all other segments are up as well. Gallium Nitride (GaN) – long seen as the likely promising new “material of choice” for RF power semiconductors – is continuing its march to capture share.

“Gallium Nitride has gained market share in 2019 and is forecasted to be a significant force over the next few years,” noted Lance Wilson, Research Director at ABI Research. “It bridges the gap between two older technologies, exhibiting the high-frequency performance of Gallium Arsenide combined with the power handling capabilities of Silicon LDMOS. GaN is now a mainstream technology that has achieved more than a quarter of the market and, in the future, is poised to capture more.

Wireless infrastructure, while representing about three-quarters of total sales, had an exceptionally strong performance. This was driven by 5G NR Mid-Band.  Si LDMOS played a major part as well as GaN. Growth for other segments outside of wireless infrastructure are showing mid-single digit CAGR over the forecast period of 2019 to 2025.

The vertical market showing the strongest uptick in the RF power semiconductor adoption business, outside of wireless infrastructure, is commercial avionics and air traffic control, which Wilson describes as being now “a significant market.”  While the producers of these devices are in the major industrialized countries, this sub-segment market is now so global that end equipment buyers can be from anywhere.

These findings are from ABI Research’s RF Power Semiconductors market data report and a companion narrative and discussion, RF Power Semiconductor Devices application analysis report. These reports are part of the company’s 5G & Mobile Network Infrastructure research service, which includes research, data, and Executive Foresights. Market Data spreadsheets are composed of deep data, market share analysis, and highly segmented, service-specific forecasts to provide detailed insight where opportunities lie. Based on extensive primary interviews, Application Analysis reports present in-depth analysis on key market trends and factors for a specific application, which could focus on an individual market or geography.