CMOS POWER AMPLIFIER MARKET ANALYSIS

Global CMOS power amplifier market was valued at US$ 4.55 Billion in 2022, and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 8.1% during the forecast period.

A CMOS power amplifier is an electronic device designed to increase the strength of the input signal's power. The input signal strength is increased to a level that can drive loads from output devices such as radio frequency generators, speakers, headphones, etc. Power amplifiers are manufactured using different semiconductor technologies such as gallium nitride (GaN), complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or gallium arsenide (GaAs). CMOS technology makes it easy to combine transceivers and power amplifiers into a single chip. It offers low power consumption, low cost and high efficiency among other power amplifiers. In addition, the CMOS amplifier finds applications for GSM/EDGE, LTE, CDMA 2000 and other wireless communication standards. They are also used in feature phones, tablets, and smartphones.

 Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market: Regional Insights

North America: The U.S. and Canada are major players in the global semiconductor industry including CMOS power amplifiers. The region's strong Research & Development (R&D) capabilities, heavy investment in advanced technologies, and presence of major semiconductor companies contribute to the market growth. The region's market strength is attributed to its robust research and development capabilities, substantial investments in cutting-edge technologies, and the prominent presence of major semiconductor companies. These factors collectively contribute to the continuous growth and advancement of the CMOS power amplifier market in North America.

Europe, with particular emphasis on countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom, has a significant influence on the semiconductor industry, including the CMOS power amplifier market. Renowned for their active participation in pioneering research and development initiatives, European countries play an important role in promoting innovative technologies and innovative applications. This significant contribution is driving the expansion and growth of the CMOS power amplifier market in the region and globally.

Asia Pacific- This region is a major driver of the global CMOS power amplifier market. Countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan are major players, benefiting from their manufacturing expertise and large home appliance market. Increasing demand for smartphones and other wireless devices in the region is driving market growth. Strong market growth in the region is primarily driven by increasing demand for smartphones and other wireless devices. As a result, these dynamic factors drive the CMOS power amplifier market growth and strengthen the region's influential position in the industry. 

Latin America- Countries such as Brazil and Mexico are emerging markets for CMOS power amplifiers. Growing middle class population, increasing use of smartphones, and growth in telecommunications infrastructure are creating market growth opportunities in the region.

Middle East & Africa- Although the market for CMOS power amplifiers in this region is relatively small as compared to other regions, digitization, urbanization, and increased investment in communication infrastructure will increase demand for wireless devices, and this will increase demand for power amplifiers.

Figure 1: Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market Share (%), By Region, 2023

Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market- Drivers

Technological Advancements in Wireless Communication Network

Wireless communications sector has experienced significant growth in recent years due to introduction of more complex modulation techniques and larger signal bandwidths for higher data rates. Also, the number of registrants has increased significantly. Major players in the global wireless communications industry are focusing on developing wireless terminals by using a single low-cost semiconductor chip. Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology is gaining popularity among power amplifier (PA) manufacturers due to its cost efficiency and versatility. These advancements are therefore expected to drive the global CMOS power amplifier market growth during the forecast period.

Major challenges introduced by new wireless standards are expected to propel the global CMOS power amplifier market growth over the forecast period

The introduction of the latest wireless communication standards has created stringent requirements for higher data rates, and relied on higher-order wide bandwidth modulation schemes. Modern radio frequency (RF) technology is expected to be flexible in terms of optimizing battery life and enhancing communication capabilities. These challenges can be overcome with the rapid development and deployment of CMOS technology. Therefore, these factors are expected to drive the growth of the global CMOS power amplifier market.

Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market: Opportunities

Advent of 5G Wireless Technology

The implementation of 5G wireless technology is expected to reduce latency, improve user experience, and increase achievable data rates. It is expected that the equipment's front-end RF requirements will also be modernized. Low cost and high efficiency are expected to increase the use of CMOS technology in 5G RF peripheral modules. Several leading companies and researchers are focusing on innovating advanced CMOS power amplifiers to meet the high bandwidth requirements of 5G technology, which is expected to provide development opportunities.

Emergence of IoT Resulting in Technological Advancements in Connected Devices

With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), various technological advancements have made many devices smaller and more connected. Current devices allow users to transfer and download videos and data faster than previous mobile device models. However, these devices require a power amplifier that provides better coverage and consumes less battery power. This will facilitate the dissemination of CMOS technology. These factors are therefore expected to provide lucrative growth opportunities during the forecast period.

Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market: Trends

High Adoption of LTE Technology Boosts Demand for CMOS Power Amplifiers

CMOS power amplifiers play an important role in LTE-enabled devices by amplifying radio frequency signals prior to transmission. The adoption of LTE technology has indeed contributed to the increase in demand for CMOS power amplifiers.

Benefits Offered by CMOS Technology Increases Adoption of Smartphones

CMOS technology is a key driver in the widespread adoption of smartphones. CMOS is the most common semiconductor technology used to create integrated circuits, including those found in smartphone components. CMOS manufacturing processes have been optimized over the years, which has enabled the mass production of integrated circuits at a reasonable cost. As the cost of manufacturing CMOS components decreases, it will be easier for smartphone manufacturers to manufacture and sell their devices at competitive prices.

Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market - Impact of COVID-19

COVID-19 has disrupted global supply chains with lockdowns, travel restrictions, and factory closures. This has resulted in raw material and component shortages and production delays, affecting the availability of CMOS power amplifiers. The COVID-19 caused a shift in consumer behavior and business priorities, resulting in fluctuations in demand for various electronic devices and products that uses CMOS power amplifiers. While demand for smartphones and laptops increased due to remote working and online learning, other sectors such as automotive and industrial applications saw a decrease in demand. Social distancing measures and other safety protocols at manufacturing facilities have impacted production rates. Companies must adapt to the new working environment and adjust production capacity, which can delay the introduction of products to market.

Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market: Restraints

Technical Downsides of CMOS Power Amplifier Design

Although CMOS power amplifiers offer low cost and highly integrated wireless communication, these have several drawbacks that hinder its adoption. Major challenges associated with CMOS power amplifiers are nonlinearity, low breakdown voltage, lack of high voltage capacitors, and RF model inaccuracy. CMOS power amplifiers are inherently non-linear, and can introduce distortion. This is not an ideal choice for modern high PAR (peak-to-average) modulation techniques. CMOS amplifiers have higher development costs and longer manufacturing times than other technologies. Therefore, these factors are expected to restrain market growth during the forecast period. Implement linearization techniques such as pre-distortion, forward correction, or feedback to compensate for the nonlinear operation of the CMOS power amplifier. These methods can help improve linearity and reduce distortion. Use a digital signal processing algorithm to apply pre-distortion to the input signal before amplification. This can help counteract the non-linear characteristics of CMOS PA and achieve better linearity.

Issues Regarding Current Leakage

CMOS offers great benefits to the telecom industry, but current leakage remains the biggest problem. Leakage current can cause serious problems throughout the circuit including excessive power consumption, faults and/or short circuits. Such major drawbacks complicate its adoption, thereby, hampering market growth in the near future. Designers can implement a variety of techniques, such as reducing source voltage, using thicker gate oxides, and optimizing transistor geometry, to minimize leakage currents while maintaining maintain acceptable performance.

Figure 2: Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market Share (%), By Application, 2023

Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market: Segmentation

On the basis of application, the market is segmented into smart phone, feature phone, connected tablet, and others.

Smart Phone

Smart phone segment held a dominant position in the global CMOS power amplifier market in 2023. Smartphones have become an integral part of modern life, with billions of devices in use around the world. Increasing spread and popularization of smartphones boosts demand for advanced wireless communication technology, and this increases need for efficient and high-performance CMOS power amplifiers. Smartphones are constantly adding new connectivity features such as: support for multiple SIM cards, WLAN, Bluetooth, and NFC. Each of these connectivity options requires a power amplifier to boost the signal and ensure seamless communication.

Feature Phone

Global CMOS power amplifier market is less affected by feature phones as compared to smartphones. Feature phones continued to exist, and were used by some consumers, but its market share and overall demand declined significantly over the years due to the rise of smartphones.  A feature phone is a simple mobile phone with limited functions as compared to a smartphone. These tend to focus on voice calls and basic text messaging, and may have simple extras like a basic camera and FM radio. However, it lacks advanced features such as app support, web browsing, and high-speed data connections.

Connected Tablet

Global market for CMOS power amplifiers for connected tablets is growing due to tablet penetration and integration with wireless connectivity capabilities. Connected tablet is a device with built-in cellular capabilities that allows users to access internet and data services without relying solely on Wi-Fi connection. Connected tablets provide users the convenience of mobile connectivity, and thus, allows to stay connected to the Internet and access online services on the go. This feature is especially attractive to users who need Internet access outside Wi-Fi coverage areas.

Others segment in the global CMOS power amplifier market usually refers to various applications beyond the main segments such as smartphones, tablets, IoT devices and wireless infrastructure. Others segment includes various applications using by CMOS power amplifiers for specific requirements.

Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market: Key Developments

On February 17, 2023, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a leading global manufacturer of electronic components and solutions, launched Type2GD, its second generation LTE-M/NB-IoT module, the product offers ultra-low power consumption and multiple LPWA communication protocols in a single system, including support for non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite connectivity. The first solution on the market I offer a chip (SoC) package. Combining Sony's advanced LTE Cat M/NB-IoT technology with Murata's proprietary packaging technology, this solution features the smallest physical dimensions, the lowest power consumption, and the most advanced feature set available. It is ideal for various IoT applications such as smart meters, smart labels, asset tracking, mobile healthcare, wearables, and telematics. The operating current is significantly reduced as compared to the previous generation, with an 80% reduction in 3GP eDRX mode, an 85% reduction in short message transmission, and an overall 4x improvement in battery life for typical IoT applications.

On September 22, 2021, Skyworks, a U.S.-based semiconductor company, launched the Automotive Switches and Low-noise Amplifier Front-end Modules SKYA21038, SKYA21039, SKYA21040, and SKYA21041 models for automotive, cellular compensators, and cellular telematics. The SKYA21038 is a Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) switch that is intended for mode switching in WLAN applications. Using advanced switching technology, SKYA21038 ensures low insertion loss and high isolation for all switching paths. The high linearity performance and low insertion loss provided by this switch makes it an ideal choice for low-power transmit/receive applications.

On Feb 9 2021, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is an US multinational corporation. It creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology. It owns patents critical to the 5G, 4G, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA and WCDMA mobile communications standards. today announced the next-generation Qualcomm RF Front End (RFFE) solution for high-performance 5G mobile devices. These solutions are designed to support the enhanced performance and energy-saving capabilities in the recently announced Qualcomm Snapdragon X65 and X62 5G modem-RF systems - the modem, receiver, and receiver assembly. RF transmitters, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled RF peripherals, and mmWave antenna modules to enable OEMs to design high-end 5G equipment. Seventh Generation Qualcomm Wideband Envelope Tracker (Qualcomm® QET7100) - The world's first multi-mode, multi-output, multi-power amplifier, the world's first wideband envelope tracking solution that supports lower 5G bands 6 GHz and global LTE.

On March 7 2023, Analog Devices, Inc. is an US multinational semiconductor company specializing in data conversion, signal processing, and power management technology (ADI) recently introduced the first in a new series of iCoupler analog amplifiers that offer very low gain and bias errors, making them ideal for a wide range of voltage source sensing applications isolators such as inverters, DC/DC converters and onboard chargers. The ADuM4195-1 combines the convenience of an analog input with an analog output device, with the power of digital isolator technology, fully certified for enhanced isolation applications such as umbrellas automotive, industrial automation and energy conversion.

Global CMOS Power Amplifier Market: Key Companies Insights

The CMOS Power Amplifier Market is highly competitive due to continuous launch of new technologies due to ongoing R&D and efforts by value chain participants. Moreover, key players are adopting various business growth strategies, in order to expand its presence on regional as well as global basis.

Some of the key players in the global CMOS power amplifier market are ACCO Semiconductor Inc., Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., Skyworks Solutions, Inc., Qorvo, Inc., Toshiba Corporation, Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Broadcom Ltd., and DSP GROUP.

*Definition: “The complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) power amplifier is a type of electronic amplifier that uses CMOS technology to increase the power of an electrical signal. CMOS technology is widely used in integrated circuits (ICs) and semiconductor devices, and CMOS power amplifiers are no exception. The term "complementary" in CMOS refers to the use of N-type and P-type metal oxide semiconductor transistors in amplifier designs. These transistors work in a complementary way to effectively amplify the            signal.”