Power Electronics and Connectivity for Enhanced Efficiency

Wi-Fi chip shipments in 2009 increased approximately 28% year-on-year, according to data from ABI Research. Total revenue is expected to achieve an estimated CAGR of 18 % between 2009 and 2014. Total market demand for Wi-Fi ICs is expected to keep growing because the demand for Wi-Fi ICs in mobile devices and consumer electronic devices are the two key engines for Wi-Fi IC's market growth. In recent years, almost all laptops, netbooks, mobile Internet devices and smartbooks have shipped with Wi-Fi embedded, a trend that will continue for some time to come. Wi-Fi IC placement in mobile handsets grew by more than 50% in 2009 and Wi-Fi-enabled handsets will account for 40% of the total of handsets shipped in 2014. Beyond the already established segments, portable media players with Wi-Fi have also seen strong growth which will continue through 2014. More and more consumer electronic devices, such as digital still cameras, digital camcorders, TVs, DVD players, STBs are adopting Wi-Fi. The total shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled consumer electronic devices increased 33 per cent in 2009 compared to 2008; the products with fastest-growing attach rates are digital camcorders, TVs and STBs. Technology companies are beginning to look steadily at home energy management with many different approaches. Pike Research forecasts that there will be more than 28 million energy displays installed by 2015, with 11 million people accessing home energy data from Web-based dashboards and 2.6 million from mobile phones. One company recommends bypassing traditional utility-installed smart meters to help consumers lower their electricity bills by building Wi-Fi-enabled smart plugs. A few strategically placed smart plugs, called a Picowatt, will provide many of the benefits promised to consumers by the smart grid, including a real-time read-out of electricity usage and the ability to control appliances from a central point. Millions of smart meters are being installed over the next three years, but utilities are being slow with sharing consumption data inside the home over a wireless network, in part because of security concerns. Wireless applications in these areas continue to evolve. How can semiconductor companies successfully tap into these technologies to expand their product portfolio and become a truly diversified organization, leading to increased growth and profitability?