Brisk orders for IoT-related products are expected to boost the performance of several Taiwan-based IC design houses specializing in MCUs, power management ICs and wireless transmission chips in 2016, according to industry sources.
Elan Microelectronics, Holtek Semiconductor, Nuvoton Technology, Pixart Imaging, Sonix Technology, Weltrend Semiconductor and UltraChip are among the companies set to ride the IoT wave in 2016, said the sources.
Sources at Taiwan's MCU suppliers indicated many of their customers will expand their portfolios to include products for IoT applications in 2016. MCU orders for IoT devices will be relatively small compared to orders of standard solutions for mass-market devices, but would yield higher gross margins, the sources said.
UltraChip's shipments of e-tag solutions have exceeded 10 million units in 2015, already doubling 2014 levels. Shipments will likely rise another 100% in 2016 buoyed by demand for wearable devices and other IoT products, according to industry sources.
