Of the 33 major IC product categories defined by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), 27 categories will enjoy growth in 2012 with 11 segments set to grow better than the 7% forecast for the total IC industry, according to IC Insights. Six categories are forecast to show double-digit growth in 2012.
The market for NAND flash memory is projected to top the growth list while NOR flash will be at the bottom of the list with the biggest percent decline in sales for 2012. NAND flash is expected to benefit from growing demand for solid-state drives (SSDs) in the year.
Meanwhile, the combination of strong demand for NAND flash and continued weakness in DRAM ASPs is likely to result in the total flash market surpassing the DRAM market for the first time ever in 2012.
In addition, wireless telecom - special purpose logic/MPR devices (which includes the myriad of applications processors used in smartphones and tablet/media PCs) and 32-bit MCUs are forecast to lead all product segments with 15% growth in 2012.
Other products expected to show better-than-market performance in 2012 are MPUs, display drivers, PLDs and 16-bit MCUs. It is worth noting that the market for 16-bit MCUs is projected to surpass the 8-bit MCU market for the first time, joining the 32-bit MCU market, which first surpassed the 8-bit MCU segment in 2010.
Momentum for automotive-related ICs is forecast to carry over into 2012 as well as semiconductor content per new vehicle increases thanks to government safety and environmental mandates and consumer interest in on-board telematics.
In contrast, four memory categories and six segments in total - NOR flash, SRAM, EEPROM/other, DSP, gate array and DRAM - are forecast to experience their second consecutive year of slower sales in 2012, according to IC Insights.