导言：2000年，摩托罗拉发布了世界上第一部智能手机，掀开了智能手机的新时代。苹果iPhone的发布将智能手机的发展推向的高潮，带动了一切与手机相关行业的崛起，IC市场也不例外。最近智能手机的火爆销售，使IC厂商也赚得满钵金。
对最新的智能手机和平板电脑技术来说，模拟集成电路在未来几年内可以保证发展是至关重要的，商业情报提供商GBI研究机构的一个新报告表明。
模拟集成电路被广泛地应用在3G/4G 基站建设和便携设备的电源中，同时也包括医疗成像扫描仪和电动汽车。
GBI预言针对放大器、电压调节器生产的通用模拟IC厂的销售收入将以9%的复合年增长率增长，到2016年底将从2012年的2041万美元增长到3135万美元。
而对于制造电源管理和通信芯片的特定应用模拟IC厂的销售收入将以6.8%的复合年增长率增长，预计将从2012年的2747万美元增长到2016年的3815万美元。
GBI预计智能手机的销量将对整个模拟IC市场的扩展起关键作用。去年智能手机的实际销量超过4.17亿部，这是一个惊人的数字，预计到2016将至少增长1亿部，而客户对新的更先进的功能和应用的渴望将会继续膨胀。
由于消费和制造数量的增加，亚太地区将在智能手机销量增长中发挥重要作用。在未来四年中，随着成本的降低，模拟IC的销量也会因此增加，像英特尔和台湾半导体公司这样的半导体公司将会带动大型晶圆制造厂的发展。
然而，这个行业也不是没有问题。 对最新功能和应用的巨大需求和科技创新的不断发展，造成了产品生命周期的缩短。客户兴趣经常变化，使需求很难被预测到，所以到IC发展和准备起航时，他们的应用领域将面临被替代的风险。这样的情况对模拟IC市场的企业来说是一个潜在的噩梦。
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.
