Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rein in Your Design Constraints
Target Condition: Are Autorouters Friend or Foe?
Fresh PCB Concepts: Assembly Challenges with Micro Components and Standard Solder Mask Practices
Electronic System Design Industry Logs 14.4% YoY Revenue Growth in Q4 2021
April 4, 2022 | SEMIEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Electronic System Design (ESD) industry revenue increased 14.4% from $3,031.5 million in Q4 2020 to $3,468.2 million in Q4 2021, the ESD Alliance, a SEMI Technology Community, announced in its latest Electronic Design Market Data (EDMD) report. The four-quarter moving average, which compares the most recent four quarters to the prior four, rose 15.8%.
“The industry continued to report double-digit year-over-year revenue growth for Q4 2021 and ended 2021 with $13.2 billion total market revenue,” said Walden C. Rhines, Executive Sponsor of the SEMI Electronic Design Market Data report. “Product categories Computer-Aided Engineering, Printed Circuit Board and Multi-Chip Module, Semiconductor Intellectual Property, and Services recorded double-digit growth for the quarter. Geographically, the Americas; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); and Asia Pacific (APAC) all reported revenue growth.”
The companies tracked in the EDMD report employed 51,236 people globally in Q4 2021, a 5.7% increase over the Q4 2020 headcount of 48,478 and up 0.1% compared to Q3 2021.
The quarterly EDMD report contains detailed revenue information with the following category and geographic breakdowns.
Revenue by Product and Application Category – Year-Over-Year Change
- Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) revenue increased 11.2% to $1,064.6 million. The four-quarter CAE moving average increased 12.2%.
- IC Physical Design and Verification revenue decreased 2% to $624.5 million. The four-quarter moving average for the category rose 7%.
- Printed Circuit Board and Multi-Chip Module (PCB and MCM) revenue increased 13.9% to $333.7 million. The four-quarter moving average for PCB and MCM rose 15.1%.
- Semiconductor Intellectual Property (SIP) revenue jumped 24.8% to $1,314.3 million. The four-quarter SIP moving average grew 23.9%.
- Services revenue increased 43.1% to $131.1 million. The four-quarter Services moving average increased 19%.
Revenue by Region – Year-Over-Year Change
The Americas, the largest reporting region by revenue, procured $1,577.2 million of electronic system design products and services in Q4 2021, a 21% increase. The four-quarter moving average for the Americas rose 17.2%.
Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) procured $482.5 million of electronic system design products and services in Q4 2021, a 5.5% increase. The four-quarter moving average for EMEA grew 12.6%.
Japan’s procurement of electronic system design products and services decreased 2.4% to $222.8 million. The four-quarter moving average for Japan rose 1%.
Asia Pacific (APAC) procured $1,185.6 million of electronic system design products and services in Q4 2021, a 13.8% increase. The four-quarter moving average for APAC increased 18.9%.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Meet the Author Podcast: Martyn Gaudion Unpacks the Secrets of High-Speed PCB Design
07/10/2025 | I-Connect007In this special Meet the Author episode of the On the Line with… podcast, Nolan Johnson sits down with Martyn Gaudion, signal integrity expert, managing director of Polar Instruments, and three-time author in I-Connect007’s popular The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to... series.
Showing Some Constraint: Design007 Magazine July 2025
07/10/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamA robust design constraint strategy balances dozens of electrical and manufacturing trade-offs. This month, we focus on design constraints—the requirements, challenges, and best practices for setting up the right constraint strategy.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rein in Your Design Constraints
07/10/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonI remember the long hours spent at the light table, carefully laying down black tape to shape each trace, cutting and aligning pads with surgical precision on sheets of Mylar. I often went home with nicks on my fingers from the X-Acto knives and bits of tape all over me. It was as much an art form as it was an engineering task—tactile and methodical, requiring the patience of a sculptor. A lot has changed in PCB design over the years.
TTCI Joins Printed Circuit Engineering Association to Strengthen Design-to-Test Collaboration and Workforce Development
07/09/2025 | The Test Connection Inc.The Test Connection Inc. (TTCI), a leading provider of electronic test and manufacturing solutions, is proud to announce its membership in the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA), further expanding the company’s efforts to support cross-functional collaboration, industry standards, and technical education in the printed circuit design and manufacturing community.
Bell to Build X-Plane for Phase 2 of DARPA Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane Program
07/09/2025 | Bell Textron Inc.Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has been down-selected for Phase 2 of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane program with the objective to complete design, construction, ground testing and certification of an X-plane demonstrator.