A recent report reveals a rapid uptake of LED lighting will result in a potential market of 19 billion power semiconductor units by 2016.

Source: IMS Research

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The global market for power semiconductors used in LED lighting is forecast to reach over $3 billion in 2016, according to a new report from IMS Research. 

IMS Research’s recent report “Opportunities for Power Components in LED Lighting,” revealed that rapid uptake of LED lighting, driven by demand for more efficient lighting and legislation against incandescent lamps, will result in a potential market of 19 billion power semiconductor units by 2016, worth over $3 billion.

The largest opportunity is identified in retrofit LED lamps which are projected to drive more than $2 billion of power semiconductors in 2016. The expanding range of available lamps with varying electronics design, requirements, and specifications are driving opportunities for manufacturers of power semiconductors.

Report co-author and senior market analyst, Ryan Sanderson, commented “The complex electronics involved in LED lighting adds a new challenge for traditional manufacturers of lighting solutions. Most designs require knowledge of power electronics, something which many suppliers don’t currently have in-house. The LED lamp market is projected to drive over $1.5 billion of ac-dc and dc-dc controllers and low power MOSFETs (used in solutions which use a controller with an external FET) in 2016. 

The market report also found that LED luminaires present a huge opportunity for power semiconductor manufacturers. One of the largest projected LED lighting markets in 2016 is high power LED luminaires over 60 W, for applications such as street and industrial lighting. Collectively, these applications are forecast to drive a power discrete market of more than $1 billion by 2016, accounted for largely by power MOSFETs and rectifiers sold both directly to LED luminaire and to merchant power supply manufacturers.

Report co-author and market analyst, Jonathon Eykyn, commented “Although some of the largest LED lighting manufacturers have the capability to design and manufacture power circuitry in-house, they still need the knowledge and expertise of the power semiconductor industry and this is something that is unlikely to change.” 

Whilst the report predicts that a large portion of the power supply opportunity in LED lighting (particularly in LED lamps) will be absorbed by these companies becoming increasingly more vertically integrated, it is likely that the power semiconductor opportunity will remain a separate and addressable to all power semiconductor manufacturers.

Eykyn added, “The opportunity is likely to increase further as manufacturers begin to add higher levels of intelligence to their LED lighting products, offering additional functionality to the consumer and increasing energy efficiency.”

“Opportunities for Power Components in LED Lighting,” which includes analysis of eight power semiconductor products in 13 LED lighting applications, was compiled following more than 40 hours of interviews with leading suppliers to the industry and is available immediately from IMS Research.