導言：2000年，摩托羅拉發布了世界上第一部智能手機，掀開了智能手機的新時代。蘋果iPhone的發布將智能手機的發展推向的高潮，帶動了一切與手機相關行業的崛起，IC市場也不例外。最近智能手機的火爆銷售，使IC廠商也賺得滿缽金。
對最新的智能手機和平板電腦技術來說，模擬集成電路在未來幾年內可以保證發展是至關重要的，商業情報提供商GBI研究機構的一個新報告表明。
模擬集成電路被廣泛地應用在3G/4G 基站建設和便攜設備的電源中，同時也包括醫療成像掃描儀和電動汽車。
GBI預言針對放大器、電壓調節器生產的通用模擬IC廠的銷售收入將以9%的復合年增長率增長，到2016年底將從2012年的2041萬美元增長到3135萬美元。
而對于制造電源管理和通信芯片的特定應用模擬IC廠的銷售收入將以6.8%的復合年增長率增長，預計將從2012年的2747萬美元增長到2016年的3815萬美元。
GBI預計智能手機的銷量將對整個模擬IC市場的擴展起關鍵作用。去年智能手機的實際銷量超過4.17億部，這是一個驚人的數字，預計到2016將至少增長1億部，而客戶對新的更先進的功能和應用的渴望將會繼續膨脹。
由于消費和制造數量的增加，亞太地區將在智能手機銷量增長中發揮重要作用。在未來四年中，隨著成本的降低，模擬IC的銷量也會因此增加，像英特爾和臺灣半導體公司這樣的半導體公司將會帶動大型晶圓制造廠的發展。
然而，這個行業也不是沒有問題。 對最新功能和應用的巨大需求和科技創新的不斷發展，造成了產品生命周期的縮短。客戶興趣經常變化，使需求很難被預測到，所以到IC發展和準備起航時，他們的應用領域將面臨被替代的風險。這樣的情況對模擬IC市場的企業來說是一個潛在的噩夢。
Unstoppable Rise of the Smartphone Will Drive Analog Integrated Circuit Market
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Technologies essential to the latest smartphones and tablets mean that the analog integrated circuit (IC) industry can look forward to guaranteed expansion over the next few years, states a new report* by business intelligence providers GBI Research.
Analog ICs are used in a wide range of applications including third and forth generation (3G/4G) radio base stations and portable device batteries, as well as medical imaging scanners and electric cars.
GBI Research predicts that the sales revenue from the general purpose analog IC industry, responsible for the production of amplifiers and voltage regulators, will grow from a 2012 value of $20.41 billion at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of approximately 9% to reach $31.35 billion by the end of 2016.
The application specific analog IC industry, which makes power management and communications chips, is expected to increase its sales revenue from $27.47 billion in 2012 to $38.15 billion in 2016, climbing at a CAGR of 6.8%.
GBI Research anticipates smart phone sales to play a major role in the expansion of the overall analog IC market. Last year the number of smart phones in existence was over 417 million – a staggering figure that is expected to grow further to just under 1 billion by 2016, as the customer appetite for new and more advanced features and applications continues to swell.
The Asia Pacific region will play a big part in this growth due to increases in both consumption and manufacturing. Over the next four years, large wafer manufacturing plants will be developed by semiconductor companies such as Intel Corporation and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, reducing costs and therefore increasing consumption for analog ICs.
The industry, however, is not without its concerns. The huge demand for the latest features and applications, combined with the ceaseless march of technological innovation, has resulted in short product life cycles. Regular shifts in customer interests make demand difficult to predict, so by the time ICs are developed and ready to be shipped, their application areas are already at risk of being replaced. Such a scenario is a potential nightmare for businesses in the analog IC market.
