Market Trends of Europe Power Transistor Industry
The Consumer Electronics Segment is Expected to Drive the Market's Growth
- Power transistors find widespread application in consumer electronics. The increasing popularity of consumer electronics such as earbuds, laptops, smartphones, wearables, and other portable gadgets contributes to the segment's expansion. Rising consumer electronics demand for high-definition audio, quick charging, and more energy-efficient designs will drive growth for gallium nitride (GaN) technology. GaN transistor technology will give the necessary adaption for improving the digital world.
- The market for 5G-enabled devices will boom in the future in the region owing to rising consumption and data processing requirements. Chip manufacturers for 5G-enabled smartphones will encounter increased demand for 5G processors to satisfy the growing demand for 5G-enabled handsets. The increase in semiconductor chips will contribute to the development of the semiconductor, eventually supporting the need for power transistors. According to Ericsson, in 2022, there were 60.45 million 5G mobile subscriptions in Western Europe.
- Smartwatches typically use low-power transistors, such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), to help conserve energy and extend battery life. Power management is a critical part of smartwatch design, as these devices are designed to be worn for long periods and must be able to operate on a single charge. The introduction of new smartwatches would drive the market.
- To that extent, in June 2022, Montblanc introduced the next wave of Wear OS 3 watches, including the Summit 3, priced at USD 1,290. This release represents a significant upgrade to Montblanc's premium timepieces. The new watches offer a range of features and functionalities. For instance, some watch faces are designed to mimic Montblanc's iconic mechanical models, such as the 1858 Geosphere. Additionally, the smartwatches come equipped with advanced capabilities like blood oxygen monitoring, sleep tracking, and support for Google Pay.
- Smartphones are the major consumer of power transistors in this segment. The smartphone has been a very competitive market in recent years. Companies have included various new sensors in the past that are battery-intensive. The manufacturers are developing smartphone chargers that could charge the device in a shorter duration, so the current rating for these has gone from 0.5 milliamps to 5 milliamps. The power transistor in the adapter plays a critical role in maintaining the required current and voltage levels. There have been many instances where a counterfeit adapter has exploded the device.
- According to Ericsson, by 2027, Western Europe's smartphone subscriptions will total 439 million. As of 2021, Western Europe had roughly 404 million smartphone subscribers. Based on previous years' steady development, the number of smartphone subscribers in Central and Eastern Europe was predicted to reach 427 million by 2027. Such an increase in the adoption of smartphones is likely to boost the growth of the studied market.
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The United Kingdom is Expected to Witness a High Market Growth
- In the United Kingdom, gallium nitride (GaN) power transistors are being used in data centers to create power supplies and other applications with smaller sizes, higher efficiency, and a higher return on investment. Next-generation GaN transistors are enabling data centers to drive even more savings, as well as greater power density and efficiency.
- For instance, according to a digital strategy report from the United Kingdom government, on average, data centers support the Internet economy, which accounts for nearly 16% of the national GDP, 10% of employment, and 24% of all UK exports, and is expanding more quickly than any other G-20 economy.
- While the annual GVA contribution of an existing data center is estimated to be between GBP 291 million (USD 401.58 million) and GBP 320 million (USD 441.60 million), each new data center ranges from GBP 397 million (USD 547.86 million) to GBP 436 million (USD 601.68 million). Such investments in data center constructions would drive the studied market.
- Further, the country has set a target to make its transportation fully electric by 2040, banning the sale of new diesel and petrol cars. In line with this objective, the electric vehicle (EV) market in the country is expanding steadily, with the number of electric vehicles in the United Kingdom rising by 71% in 2021, as compared to 2020, as per the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). As the United Kingdom prepares to make the transition to pure-electric vehicle production over the coming years, with some manufacturers and brands committing to going 100% electric as early as 2025, resultantly, demand for critical power electronic devices and systems is set to increase. This will further propel the market growth.
- To meet the various demands of the customers, the firms in the region are developing new products. For instance, in March 2022, A UK GaN firm, Fabless, launched easily-driven power transistors with current sensing. The company is leveraging monolithic GaN integration, dubbed 'ICeGaN,' to adjust the gating behavior of GaN power transistors without the use of cascade-pairing, allowing them to be compatible with drivers designed for classic silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFETs). Simultaneously, a current sense output has been added, which is used by connecting an external low-power, low-value (10) resistor from the CS output to 0V and amplifying the resulting voltage using an op-amp.
- Power transistors are widely used in the energy and power industry for various applications, including power conversion, high voltage switches, and amplification of signals. They are used in power electronic devices such as inverters and converters to convert electrical energy from one form to another. For example, in solar panels, power transistors can be used to convert DC power into AC power that is suitable for home use.
- According to GOV.UK, as the United Kingdom gradually moves away from fossil fuel reliance, electricity generation from renewables is likely to increase in the coming decades. Projections indicate that, by 2040, over half of major power producers' electricity generation capacity will be from renewable sources, amounting to 100 gigawatts. Such an increase in power generation activities in the region would offer lucrative opportunities for the market players to expand their product penetration.
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