Total analogue IC sales are forecast to rise 12% to $83.2 billion in 2022, with unit shipments increasing 11% to 238.7 billion (Figure 1). The ASP of analogue ICs is projected to grow 1% in 2022.
Figure 1
The analogue market’s 30%growth of 30% in 2021 lifted sales to an all-time high of $74.1 billion.
Analogue unit shipments climbed 22% in 2021 to a record-high level of 215.1 billion.
The combination of strong demand and well-documented supply-chain disruptions contributed to a 6% increase in the ASP for analogue ICs last year. (Prior to that, the last year that the analogue ASP increased was 2004.)
This year, every major general-purpose analogue and application-specific analogue market category tracked by IC Insights is forecast to post a sales increase, ranging from 7% growth in the amplifiers and comparators segment to 17% growth for automotive application-specific analogue ICs (Figure 2).
Figure 2
Growing shipments of 5G cellphone handsets and the infrastructure to support them are one of the key reasons that the communications segment is forecast to account for the largest portion of analogue IC sales in 2022.
Wireless communication applications are expected to represent 91% of sales within the communication analog segment this year with wired communications applications accounting for 9%.
Power management ICs are forecast to be the second-largest analog segment in 2022.
Power management chips help regulate power usage to keep devices running cooler and help extend battery life—essential features in mobile/battery operated systems like cellphones, laptops, and many other portable systems.
They also regulate functions like stepper motors, communication interfaces, and back lighting in displays.