Global MEMS Market Growth 11.1% in 2010

According to iSuppli, due to strong sales of mobile phones, game controllers and digital cameras, it is expected that the global MEMS market will grow by 11.1% to reach US$6.554 billion in 2010. Most of these devices use motion-sensing technology for features such as image stabilization, flap control, security, and orientation detection. As the demand for next-generation applications, such as intuitive user interfaces and location-based services, continues to grow, it is critical to have an advantage in accuracy and battery life.

Another rapidly growing area in the MEMS market will be the industrial sector, which includes process control and automation, instrumentation and energy. Pressure and flow sensors and accelerometers will be important products. The compound annual growth rate of the industrial market will reach 18.1%, second only to 25.4% of mobile phones.

It is expected that the overall chip industry will grow by 30.8% in 2010. Although the growth rate of the MEMS market may seem pale compared to this, the MEMS industry does not follow the semiconductor industry's business cycle. In fact, overall, MEMS expansion will be faster than the chip industry in 2009-2014, with a compound annual growth rate of 10.7%, which is higher than the 9.6% of the semiconductor industry.

According to iSuppli senior analyst Richard Dixon, “The MEMS industry has caused dramatic changes in today’s end-use applications. This is a technology that can enhance the performance of a large number of tools that consumers are now using in their daily lives. Our Research shows that a revolution is quietly taking place outside the mainstream market, and the industrial, pharmaceutical, energy, optical communications, and aerospace defense markets also provide a lot of opportunities for MEMS sensors, and are expected to grow at a rate of 17% by 2014. Annual market sales are expected to exceed $2.6 billion."