Implementation of Discrete AI Processors at the Edge, Improved Memory Density to Support Low-latency Data Transmission, and High-performance Power Amplifiers (PAs) Enable Accelerated Growth in the Adoption of 5G Connected Devices
The 5G wireless communication technology is designed to operate in sub-6 GHz and mmWave frequency ranges with a bandwidth of 100 MHz, data rates in Gbps, with connection reliability of 99.99% to 99.9999%, and latency in the sub-5 millisecond range. Compared to 4G, these performance goals had multiplied several fold in 5G to improve the customer experience and bring in innovative service offerings. Such performance levels cannot be achieved without advancements in semiconductor chipsets. It is known that the modem, radio frequency front-end, and the integrating system on chip (SoC) platform plays a significant role in realizing the purposes of 5G. However, a 5G enabling device or system also relies on devices such as power amplifiers, memory modules, and AI chipsets to support the latency requirements through faster on-device processing capability and power efficiency. The advancements in memory modules, including technology and capacity, are almost doubling to meet 5G device and application requirements. Similarly, the integration of AI chipsets on edge devices is viewed as a critical 5G technology enabler to capacitate a multitude of use cases that rely on both faster local inference and instant communication with the cloud. Moreover, as 5G is set to carry out a huge workload, the expectation on the battery life of 5G devices itself is increasing. Therefore, market participants involved in the design and manufacture of power amplifiers are focusing on several advancement efforts, including material and processing technology.
Therefore, this study focuses on evaluating the market potential of these chips in traditional communication end-users such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, and network infrastructure equipment. The market witnessed early commercialization activities in 2019, kicking off with the aforementioned verticals. In the long term, however, 5G is expected to be adopted across a wide range of applications and use cases that 4G could not penetrate. The new opportunities include smart cities, automotive, retail, and industrial to mention a few. As concepts such as on-device processing gain significance, the demand for these chips is expected to grow significantly. However, market participants have to carefully evaluate requirements and prioritize investments to launch products at the right time. Hence, this study also focuses on identifying and evaluating requirements across a wide range of IoT-based use cases. The opportunities on each possible scenario are analyzed individually, along with recommendations for market participants to capitalize on the opportunity.
The market potential is evaluated through a combination of secondary and primary research. With the insights gained from expert interviews, trends and quantitative information are combined carefully with a bottom-up approach to evaluate the market potential. The base year of the study is 2019, and market growth is forecasted until 2025 on a global level.
Key Issues Addressed
- How will 5G impact the growth of memory, power, and AI semiconductor devices?
- What are the key end-user verticals generating revenue for these devices in 5G applications?
- When will 5G and semiconductor technological developments converge to provide value-added 5G services?
- What is the competitive landscape like in the memory, power, and AI semiconductor market?
- What are the new growth opportunities expected in the next 5 years that AI, memory, and power devices could capitalize on?
