The approximately US$ 3 billion RF power amplifier market is poised to expand at a robust CAGR of 12.2% over the 10-year forecast period, 2018-2028. The widening expansion of 5G cellular networks will remain predominantly responsible for the growth of RF power amplifier market, in addition to the incessant penetration of smart devices and connected technology. RF power amplifier market in Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) currently accounts for a sizable share (<50%) of the total revenue of RF power amplifier market, whereas North America’s RF power amplifier market holds over one-fourth of the total value represented by the RF power amplifier market.
North American and European RF power amplifier markets are presumed to exhibit high CAGRs, prominently attributed to the booming consumer electronics sector. However, strong presence of some of the leading RF power amplifier manufacturers will continue to enable Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) to remain the maximum shareholding RF power amplifier market throughout 2018-2028. With nearly 40% share of the total RF power amplifier market value, APEJ is anticipated to be driven most prominently by the fostering telecom, industrial sector, and wireless network realms.
Bolstering adoption of energy-efficient equipment, coupled with swift progress of the semiconductor industry, will further accelerate the growth of RF power amplifier market in APEJ. In terms of sustainable value generation in RF power amplifier market, China, South Korea, and India are foreseen to uplift high-performance analog semiconductor components, thereby boosting the demand for RF power amplifier. Another strong factor driving the growth of APEJ market for RF power amplifier is consistently rising deployment of the next-gen wireless network and LTE network.
The H1 of 2018 registered the first test for the first ever commercially available RF FEM specifically designed for 5G applications. Similarly, the designs of 5G FEM were tested for IoT and LTE. The companies involved in this innovation, NI (National Instruments) and Qorvo (a leading RF chipmaker), consider the results of this testing to deliver the desired wide bandwidth for the testing of 5G efficiency.
Established and newly entering semiconductor manufacturers in certain economies, including China, India, Japan, and the US are estimated to stimulate the development of new business models among RF power amplifier manufacturers by augmenting the demand for advanced consumer electronics and network products – pushing the IoT and wireless infrastructure areas further.
RF power amplifier manufacturers are focusing on increasing investments in technology upgrades. The onus has shifted to revamp legacy models to improve operational efficiency. Evolving end-user demand has also meant that manufacturers of RF power amplifier have to make consistent size/weight reductions, while increasing the power density of amplifiers. Investment into R&D of the next generation of multi-mode RF power amplifiers will potentially play a pivotal role in enabling businesses address the challenge of adapting the legacy platforms to support modern business operations, thereby unlocking infinite opportunities of growth in the RF power amplifier market in the near future.
Cree, Inc. has recently (2018) announced the acquisition of the assets of Infineon Technologies AG Radio Frequency (RF) power business, which is expected to trigger the expansion of the existing product portfolio and customer base of the acquirer. Moreover, industry experts foresee this acquisition to strengthen the market position of the former particularly in RF GaN-On-SiC technologies. MACOM also introduced the new MAGM series of GaN-On-Si based MMIC (Monolithic microwave integrated circuit) power amplifiers, specifically optimized for the 5G wireless base station infrastructure. More recently, NXP Semiconductors announced the launch of its 5G RF front-end portfolio for massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) systems, i.e. the key ingredient of 5G networks.
