Global revenues for LED driver ICs used in general lighting applications will more than triple from 2012 to 2015, as the market for solid-state illumination booms, according to IMS Research.
The market governing LED driver ICs for lighting will surge to US$666 million in 2015, up from US$214 million in 2012, said IMS. Growth will moderate somewhat during the following years, but revenues are expected to continue to expand, reaching US$810 million in 2018.
"Major advances and cost reductions in lamps, luminaires and automotive lighting are spurring the rapid growth of the market for LEDs in general lighting applications," said Stephanie Pruitt, lighting and LEDs analyst for IMS. "This in turn is generating major opportunities for LED driver ICs. Once dominated by the display backlighting business, the LED driver IC market now is being driven by the soaring market for general lighting."
The residential sector represents the greatest opportunity for growth in the LED lighting driver market, IMS noted. Homes have the largest number of sockets available for LED bulbs. The most common form factor for residential LED lights is the classic A-type lamp, that is, the pear-shaped bulb used since early in the 20th century. Also popular is the MR16 type of bulb used for directional lighting.
Other major opportunities for LED drivers in general illumination lie in the retail as well as the street/parking light markets.
As growth ramps up in general lighting, the rate of expansion, however, is slowing in some areas. For instance, handset display backlighting has become a saturated market, while TV and signage backlighting now are growing at a slower pace.
Computer and office equipment is still generating some respectable growth, mainly due to the boom in tablet devices.
LED driver IC suppliers like Macroblock, Texas Instruments (TI) and Skyworks continue to dominate in their respective markets, IMS pointed out. However, many companies that once concentrated on these sectors have seen flat or declining revenues. These companies, along with new entrants, are switching focus to the increasingly important lighting sector.
