According to IC Insights, sales of power transistors in 2018 were $16.3 billion, a growth rate of 14%, breaking the record of 11% growth in 2017. In the first quarter of this year, global sales of power transistors increased by nearly 10% compared to the same period in 2018, but growth in the second half of 2019 is expected to slow significantly. In addition, sales of power transistors are expected to increase by 5% in 2019, reaching a record $17.1 billion, and then down 2% in 2020 to $16.8 billion.
In the past two years, sales of power transistors have been driven by strong shipments and price increases due to shortages and insufficient capacity. IC Insights report shows that power transistor shipments increased by 8% in 2018, reaching a record 62.8 billion. The average selling price of power transistors increased by nearly 6% in 2018, and the lead time of some widely used components (such as power MOSFETs) exceeded 40 weeks in the second half of last year, compared to 8 weeks in normal market conditions.
According to the report, in 2018, all other products achieved sales growth, except for RF/microwave power transistors, which fell nearly 1% annually. The strongest growth in power transistor sales in 2018 was the power field effect transistor for 40-100V applications, which increased by 21% and IGBT by 20.3%. Other major power transistor categories showed strong sales growth in 2018: power FETs for applications up to 40V (+17%); power FETs for 100-200V applications (+16%); and IGBT power modules (+15%). According to the report, field-effect transistors (including those used in modular systems) accounted for 58% of total power transistor sales in 2018. The total number of IGBT products (modules and discrete transistors) accounted for 32% of power transistor sales in 2018.
After the growth bubble in 2017 and 2018, the power transistor market is expected to return to normal growth in the next five years. Sales of power transistors are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% between 2018 and 2023, with global revenues expected to reach $19.2 billion.
