Power transistor sales record again in 2018

According to IC Insights' 2019 OSD report, sales of power transistors are growing at double-digit rates, rising 14 percent in 2018 to a record $16.3 billion, and breaking the record of 11 percent growth in 2017.Power transistors entered the first quarter of this year with global sales up nearly 10 percent from the same period in 2018, but growth is expected to slow sharply in the second half of 2019.In addition, sales of power transistors are expected to grow 5 percent to a record $17.1 billion in 2019, and then decline 2 percent to $16.8 billion in 2020.

Over the past two years, power transistor revenues have been driven higher by strong unit shipments and higher prices due to equipment shortages and insufficient manufacturing capacity to meet demand.According to IC Insights' 2019 OSD report, power transistor shipments grew 8 percent in 2018 to a record 62.8 billion devices, after the company forecast a 6 percent increase in unit production this year to 66.7 billion.The average selling price of power transistors rose nearly 6 percent in 2018. Delivery cycles for some widely used components, such as power MOSFET, exceeded 40 weeks in the second half of last year, compared with eight weeks in normal market conditions.

Power transistor manufacturers have steadily increased manufacturing capacity over the past year, but most suppliers are still struggling to keep up with demand in the first quarter of 2019.The supply of most power transistor product types is expected to end in the second half of this year.This is partly due to the global economic slowdown and slower growth in demand for equipment shipments in early 2020.The growing trade war between China and the United States could also have a negative impact on the transistor market in 2019 if the economic and demand slowdown is not addressed.

According to the new OSD report, all but one power transistor product category saw sales growth in 2018, with the exception of radio frequency/microwave power transistors, which fell nearly 1 percent annually.The strongest growth in power transistor sales in 2018 was in power field effect transistors (power FET) for 40-100v applications, up 21%, and insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) up 20.3%.Other major power transistor categories are showing strong sales growth in 2018: power FET for up to 40V applications (+ 17%);Power FET is suitable for 100-200v application (+ 16%);And IGBT power modules (+ 15%).Field-effect transistors, including those used in modular systems, accounted for 58 percent of total power transistor sales in 2018, the report said.Total IGBT products (modules and discrete transistors) accounted for 32 percent of power transistor sales in 2018.

After two years of double-digit growth bubbles in 2017 and 2018, the power transistor market is expected to return to more normal growth in the mid - to low-single-digit percentage range over the next five years. In addition, the OSD report forecasts a 2% decline in 2020.Sales of power transistors are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3 percent between 2018 and 2023, with global revenue expected to reach $19.2 billion.