Report: CMOS image sensor industry on the rise

As a result of increased usage inmobile and automotive applications, the CMOS image sensor industry is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 10.4% from 2015 to 2021, reaching $18.8 billion by 2021, according to a new report by Yole Développement (Yole).

The 2016 report,Status of the CMOS image sensor industry 2016: New market & technology dynamics,”covers key market and technology choices, and suggests that increased camera content in smartphones will more than offset slower smartphone volume growth. Additionally, the trend for dual and 3D cameras will have a major impact on CIS volumes, suggests Yole.

Applications such as drones, robotics, virtual reality, and augmented reality will also help rejuvenate the consumer camera market, while advanced driver assistance systems will help grow the automotive camera market. ADAS in particular, according to Yole, further increases pressure on vendors to provide image sensors beyond their current technical capabilities. Image analysis represents a new frontier and early usage of artificial intelligence is catching people’s imaginations, said Pierre Cambou from Yole.

“We are therefore in the middle of an explosive growth pattern that will not slow down before 2021,” he said. “An exceptionally high 23% CAGR is predicted in automotive for the 2015-2021 period.”

In addition to these markets, the report covers the security, medical, and industrial markets as well.

Additionally, the report analyses CMOS image sensor applications with a relevant market segmentation and detailed technology roadmap. It also highlights the related sensor technologies by application and analyses the market positioning of the major CMOS image sensor companies, while also presenting the main drivers and challenges of the industry.

Yole points out in its report that Sony has become a market, production, and technology leader, while Samsung and OmniVision has remained strong. When it comes to the competitive landscape of the industry, big moves and acquisitions have reshaped how things look:

• Canon purchased Axis for $2.8 billion
• ON Semiconductor purchased Fairchild Semiconductor for $2.4 billion
• A Chinese investor consortium purchased OmniVision for $1.9 billion
• Toshiba sold its CMOS image sensor business to Sony for $155 million and its medical business to Canon for $5.9 billion.

Yole expects competition in CMOS image sensors to remain relatively open as long as the growth pattern is maintained and key technology changes occur almost every other year.

View more information onthe report.

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