GaN RF Power Devices Gained Meaningful Market Share

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Gallium Nitride (GaN) RF power semiconductor devices gained meaningful market share over the last two years, despite a lackluster 2016, with 2017 promising to take things a bit further. ABI Research forecasts GAN RF power devices will represent nearly 25% of all high-power semiconductors for mobile wireless infrastructure in 2017. 

“The increasing and critical need for wireless data remains an important market driver,” says Lance Wilson, Research Director at ABI Research. “LTE and the initial building blocks of 5G will fuel the market’s growth for the next five years.” 

RF power amplifiers (RFPA) are integral parts of all basestations for cellular and mobile wireless infrastructure. They represent one of the most expensive component sub-assemblies in modern wireless infrastructure equipment, and both their performance and cost are important drivers in basestation design. The RF power semiconductors used in these power amplifiers must keep pace with the economic and technical realities facing designers and users of these RF power amplifiers. 

“Efficiency, physical size, linearity, and reliability are among the principal concerns,” concludes Wilson. “As price pressures become fiercer, new and innovative techniques and materials must be used to reduce the cost of this important component part while still maintaining performance.” 

The Asia-Pacific region, including China, will drive present and future revenue.