IC unit shipments will reach 427.7 billion in 2022
In modern society, all kinds of electronic devices use chips. Even an ordinary electric kettle may have one or two integrated circuits (ICs). If a product as complex as a car is used, the types and numbers of IC units used are very large. As the world enters the information age, IC unit sales are constantly setting new records.
Recently, IC Insights released a new report predicting that IC unit shipments this year will reach 427.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.2%. In terms of quantity, compared with the breakthrough year of 2010, 427.7 billion units were 2.2 times the shipment volume of that year. In contrast, the year-on-year growth of 9.2% in 2022 means that the momentum will be moderated compared to 2021. Shipments in 2021 will be 391.8 billion, a year-on-year increase of 22%, which is very rapid.
Of the 33 major chip categories defined by theWorld Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization, unit shipments are expected to decline in 3 categories, namely SRAM, DSP, and Gate Array. Of the remaining 30 types of growth, 12 had higher growth rates than the 9.2% average. Inventories of consumer IC units have grown over the past few months, a sign that demand for IC units is slowing and headwinds to further sales growth are growing. However, some companies are still stockpiling IC units, which means that future demand for some IC units will remain strong or critical.
IC Insights expects: “From 2021-2026, IC Insights forecasts the IC unit CAGR will be 7%. Ignoring the 5-year CAGR timeperiods with abnormally high or low endpoints, IC Insights believes that the long-term CAGR for IC unit growth will be 7%-8%, moderately lower than the historical 42-year rate of 9.4%.”
