According to the latest market study released by Technavio, the global micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) market is expected to reach USD 20.26 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of nearly 12%.
This research report titled ‘Global MEMS Market 2016-2020’ provides an in-depth analysis of the market in terms of revenue and emerging market trends. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue generated from the sales of MEMS. The report also presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of top vendors in the market, as well as other prominent vendors.
MEMS are miniaturized devices and structures that are made using the techniques of microfabrication. These combine mechanical, optical, and fluidic elements with electronics. The size of the devices can range from less than one micron up to a number of millimeters. These devices are integrated with a number of devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearables, vehicles, medical devices, and industrial devices for carrying out different types of automated functions. Consumer electronics is the largest market for MEMS. IoT will boost up the MEMS demand, as a large number of MEMS would be required for smart homes, building and industrial automation, and smart grid applications.
Technavio’s hardware and semiconductor analysts categorize the market into three major segments by end user. They are:
- Automotive
- Consumer electronics
- Industrial
Global MEMS market for consumer electronic segment
The consumer electronic segment was valued at USD 5.83 billion in 2015 and will reach USD 10.84 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of over 13% during the forecast period. MEMS are integrated into consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets, cameras, gaming consoles, and wearables. The features such as display control, motion control, navigation, and gesture recognition are enabled by MEMS. Therefore, consumer electronics are integrated with MEMS. The global MEMS market for consumer electronics will primarily be driven by the increase in demand for smartphones. This is due to the decreasing cost of smartphones, which, in turn, boosts the market for MEMS.
According to Sunil Kumar Singh, a lead sensors research analyst from Technavio, “With the declining ASPs and increasing benefits such as low space and high accuracy, the demand for MEMS is increasing. MEMS are small enough to be soldered directly onto the circuit boards. This provides technology with a price advantage.”
Global MEMS market for automotive segment
The automotive segment was valued at USD 3.3 billion in 2015 and will reach USD 5.22 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of almost 10% during the forecast period. Government regulations and consumer awareness campaigns such as the Global New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) are driving the demand for MEMS in the automotive segment. Global NCAP demands the integration of minimum vehicle safety standards for both crash protection and crash avoidance in all new cars sold worldwide by 2020. This requires the installation of different types of MEMS in vehicles. MEMS provide safety features such as airbag systems, vehicle security systems, inertial brake lights, headlight levelling, rollover detection, automatic door locks, and active suspension.
“The UN Road Safety Collaboration has introduced a global plan for the decade 2011-2020. The plan focuses on road safety activities such as improving the safety of road infrastructure and broader transport networks; building road safety management capacity; enhancing the behavior of road users; further developing the safety of vehicles; and improving post-crash care,” says Sunil.
MEMS microphones are mainly used in the automotive segment for speech or voice recognition in automobile audio systems. This will enable the passengers to stay connected and be entertained in a safe environment, as they can communicate with the audio system verbally. This has the possibility to reduce road accidents, as people are often distracted by factors such as adjusting the car audio system or speaking on mobile phones.
Global MEMS market for industrial segment
The industrial segment was valued at USD 1.2 billion in 2015 and will reach USD 1.95 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of above 10% during the forecast period. MEMS are used in many industrial applications such as construction equipment, agricultural machinery or platform leveling, and for testing applications. MEMS accelerometers are used for vibration sensing conditions such as automotive testing or monitoring the pitch and roll of an aircraft.
MEMS are also used with IoT for industrial automation. MEMS technology is helpful for industrial robots, as it can be applied to tactile sensors, navigation, or proximity sensors. MEMS are used for condition monitoring of transportation and industrial equipment, vibration and rotational speed monitoring, asset and parcel tracking and monitoring, shock detection and logging, building and structure monitoring, and vibration and tilt monitoring.