February 1, 2024 /SemiMedia/ -- Tower Semiconductor recently announced a collaboration with Renesas, leveraging Tower’s high-volume and high-performance SiGe BiCMOS technology to manufacture SiGe-based beamforming ICs. This strategic collaboration underscores Renesas’ commitment to innovation as its broad portfolio of beamforming products has already achieved design wins by key worldwide players across 5G, satcom and Aerospace & Defense markets, positioning the company at the forefront of the industry.  

The Satcom terrestrial terminal market is growing rapidly as satellite-based internet services proliferate globally. According to Euroconsult, a market research firm, 71 million people were connected to satellite broadband services in 2022. With rapid deployment of LEO satellite constellations, this number is expected to double in 2031, reaching over 150 million users. This translates to an increase of $400M in the average yearly TAM for SiGe wafers over the coming decade. 

“The unique advantages of Tower’s SiGe BiCMOS technology have empowered us to design and manufacture highly integrated and power efficient semiconductors that set new industry benchmarks,” said Naveen Yanduru, VP of RF Communications at Renesas. “As evidenced by our design wins and volume shipments, the displacement of mechanical antennas by highly agile electronically steered antennas (ESAs) is well underway and will continue to drive exponential SAM growth for beamforming ICs in the coming years. With the continuously surging demand for millimeter-wave technology, our collaboration with Tower Semiconductor has positioned Renesas as a market leader,” Mr. Yanduru added.

Renesas is a global leader in delivering cutting-edge solutions for the telecommunications industry and has made strides in the Satcom and 5G markets through its collaboration with Tower Semiconductor.  This capability played a significant role in empowering Renesas to establish and solidify its market leadership. 

“We are excited to partner with Renesas in bringing these breakthrough products to market leveraging our industry leadership in SiGe foundry technology along with their strong product development, talent and market presence,” noted Dr. Marco Racanelli, President at Tower Semiconductor. “Our global capacity and engineering agility will ensure Renesas has both the ability to develop new, high-performance products and deliver these in high-volume to their Tier 1 customers.”

Renesas’ portfolio of beamforming products has achieved design wins by several strategic global customers including a tier 1 base station manufacturer, a tier 1 satellite broadband service provider, a major defense contractor, and an antenna supplier for a major aircraft manufacturer, among others.

“We are excited to share that production for these design wins has commenced, and we are now shipping in volumes,” added Tumay Kanar, Director at Renesas. “Volume production is being supported by Tower with its high yield and high reliability.”

Together, Renesas and Tower Semiconductor are forging a path of innovation and reliability in the Satcom and 5G markets, setting a new standard for semiconductor solutions. This collaboration reaffirms the companies’ commitment to driving technological advancements and meeting the ever-growing demands of the telecommunications industry.