Power semi market keeps growing

The market for power modules grew by 32 percent in 2011, much faster than that for discrete power semiconductors, which grew only three percent. The main drivers of the growth of power module revenues were solar energy, car production and consumer appliances. In contrast, discrete semiconductors are used in faster-moving goods such as televisions and notebook & desktop computers, so their sales respond quickly to changes in consumer confidence. Against a background of pricing challenges and fluctuating demand and lead-times, Infineon remained the leading supplier of power discretes and modules, according to IMS Research. Other manufacturers whose share of the market grew included power module specialists Mitsubishi Electric, Fuji Electric and Semikron. “Infineon further cemented its leadership in IGBTs and was the fastest growing supplier in the power MOSFET market,” commented Richard Eden, senior market analyst in the Power Management & Conversion Group at IMS Research. “Mitsubishi Electric maintained market leadership in power modules, enabling it to narrow the gap with Infineon in the total market.” For the second year running, Japanese manufacturers benefitted from the strengthening value of the Yen, which inflated their revenue share in terms of U.S. dollars. Japanese suppliers now account for 51 percent of the power module market, up from 48 percent in 2010.