SEMICONDUCTOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MARKET ANALYSIS

A semiconductor Intellectual Property (IP) is a logic unit or logic chip that can be reused and is an intellectual property of a circuit. This IP is used in integrated circuit designs or field-programmable gate array (FPGA) logic designs as building blocks. Semiconductor intellectual property (IP) enables faster chip design by using existing blocks. It is also responsible for improving the quality of any device, in turn enhancing the efficiency of the device. Miniaturization in electronic device size is expected to positively impact growth of the semiconductor intellectual property market. As the demand for miniature smartphone devices is increasing, the complexity in circuit design is also increasing. Hence, adoption of modern system on chip (SOC) design technology, which employs semiconductor IP cores, is also increasing. This in turn, is expected to enhance growth of the global semiconductor IP market. Growing adoption of mobile devices, smartphones, tablets, and other connected devices due to availability of high speed broadband connectivity and rampant advancements in technology, are in turn, expected to boost growth of the semiconductors IP market. Furthermore, rising investment in research and development activities in the field of semiconductors and increasing traction of data converter IPs in wireless & IoT products is expected to drive the global semiconductors IP market.

The global Semiconductor Intellectual Property (IP) market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period (2020–2027) due to the advancement in multicore technology in the consumer electronics sector. Consumer electronics are becoming smarter and more intelligent due to increasing research and development activities. This is due to advanced components and chips made with the help of complex IPs designed for every application. The consumer electronics sector offers tremendous growth opportunities for the semiconductor industry and the semiconductor IP market players. The semiconductor industry is highly dependent on consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets, and memory products. Many digital consumer products such as digital cameras, televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, and LED bulbs also use semiconductors. Integrated Circuits (ICs) and Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) are extensively used in these consumer electronics, and an increase in demand for these products is reinforcing the semiconductor IP market because semiconductor IPs are used to build ICs and SoCs. In addition to consumer electronics, semiconductor IPs play a central role in the operation of bank ATMs, the internet, communications, and other parts of social infrastructure such as the medical network used for the care of elderly, among others.

For instance, In May 2020, Arm Holdings launched IP equipped with 5G connectivity. The products include Arm Cortex-A78 CPU, Arm Mali-G78 GPU, Arm Ethos-N78 NPU, and others. These IP products are specially designed for mobile connectivity devices such as smartphones.

The major factor restraining growth of the global Semiconductor Intellectual Property (IP) market is increasing number of counterfeits. Counterfeit semiconductor products have proliferated due to poor supply chain practices and purchasing low quality products at a minimum cost. The market includes independent distributors and brokers that obtain products from a wide range of suppliers. However, some suppliers introduce counterfeits into the market supply chain. The only way to ensure that semiconductor components are authentic and have optimal quality and reliability, is to buy them exclusively through authorized sources.

Semiconductor Intellectual Property (IP) Market - Impact of Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic

Globally, most of the countries are affected by COVID-19 and most of the countries have announced lockdown. COVID-19 has a significant impact on the supply-side as well as the demand side of the semiconductors industry. Companies are quickly evaluating impacts on three fronts: supply chain, market demand, and workforce. Slowdown in production by consumer electronics companies and automotive OEMs due to COVID-19 crisis has resulted in demand variation for semiconductor chips. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, there has been reduction in demand for mobile phones and consumer electronics, driven by loss of income and stay-at-home orders. However, increased demand for cloud infrastructure to support distributed workforce will have positive impact on the global semiconductor intellectual property (IP) market in the long term.

Asia Pacific held dominant position in the global semiconductor intellectual property (IP) market in 2019

Statistics:

Asia Pacific held dominant position in the global semiconductor intellectual property (IP) market in 2019, accounting for 38.4% share in terms of value, followed by North America and Europe.

Figure 1: Global Semiconductor Intellectual Property (IP) Market Share (%), By Region, 2019

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Asia Pacific is expected to account for the largest market share during the forecast period, owing to frequent product launches and technological developments in semiconductor IP products by manufacturers. For instance, in 2018, Faraday Technology Corporation launched multi-protocol video interface IP based on UMC 28nm HPC and USB 2.0 OTG PHY IP.  Multi-protocol video interface IP is specially designed for emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality. Also, in June 2017, VeriSilicon Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. launched Vivante CC8000, an IP series based on scalable and parallel MESH (Memory Efficient Shader) processor architecture. The product is specially developed for cryptography, machine vision, advanced signal processing, and other applications.

North America is expected to exhibit significant growth during the forecast period, owing to the high presence of key manufacturers such as Synopsys, Inc., Cadence Design Systems, Inc., Lattice Semiconductor Corporation, CEVA, Inc., and Rambus Incorporated, among others. Moreover, North America-based vendors are also expanding their business activities in Europe region through acquisitions. For instance, in September 2020, Silvaco, Inc. acquired IP solution, patents, and analysis technologies of Wave Solutions S.A., a Europe-based technology company. Through this acquisition, Silvaco will expand its RF SOI product line-up to address the increasing demand for IoT and 5G devices.

Processor IP segment is expected to drive the market growth during the forecast period

Among design IP, the Processor IP segment is expected to hold dominant position in the global semiconductor intellectual property (IP) market during the forecast period. Increasing demand for advanced semiconductor processors in tablets, smart-phones, and wireless devices is also expected to drive the semiconductor IP market growth.

For instance, in September 2020, Synopsys, Inc. announced that DSP Group, Inc., a leading global provider of wireless and voice-processing chipset solutions for converged communications, selected Synopsys DesignWare ARC EM5D Processor IP for its high-efficiency control and signal processing capabilities to enable development of its DBMC2-TWS advanced adaptive processing audio codec for true wireless stereo (TWS) headsets.

Figure 2: Global Semiconductor Intellectual Property (IP) Market Value (US$ Mn) Analysis and Forecast, 2017 - 2027

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The global semiconductor intellectual property (IP) market was valued at US$ 4,111.0 Mn in 2019 and is expected to reach US$ 7,103.0 Mn by 2027 at a CAGR of 8.9% between 2020 and 2027.

Major players operating in the global semiconductor intellectual property (IP) market include Arm Holdings, Synopsys, Inc., Cadence Design Systems, Inc., Imagination Technologies Limited, Lattice Semiconductor Corporation, CEVA, Inc., Rambus Incorporated, Silvaco Inc., Intel Corporation, eMemory Technology Inc., Dream Chip Technologies GmbH (Goodix Technology Co. Ltd.), VeriSilicon Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Achronix Semiconductor Corporation, Open-Silicon, Inc., Dolphin Design SAS, Faraday Technology Corporation, Xilinx, Inc., Mentor, a Siemens Business, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), Cobham Gaisler AB, Arasan Chip Systems Inc., HDL Design House, Mixel Inc., and TDK Corporation (InvenSense).