Whether you are pro engineer or a start-up founder, you can kick off 2021 with an upbeat take on three key electronics industry segments: semiconductors, global foundries, and LEDs. Recent industry reports indicate that 2021 should be positive for all three. We’ll continue to keep an eye on the electronics industry news, and we’ll update each week via the Elektor sites, our weekly E-Zine, and our social media channels. 
 
Electronics News Bytes: Semiconductors, LEDs, and more
 

2021 Looks Positive for Foundry Revenue and LEDs

Could it be that 2021 will be a year of growth for foundry revenue and the LED market? The near future looks positive, according to two recent reports from TrendForce. Let's start with foundry revenue, which was expected (as of the end of December 2020) to hit $84.6 billion, which a 23.7% jump. We reported about the optimistic news a few weeks ago. Now, Trendforce anticipates that increased smartphone demand, along with 5G solutions and Wi-Fi 6 tech, will boost foundry revenue in 2021 by 6%. As for the LED industry, it seems that the COVID-19 crisis and the global boom in work-from-home plans will drive demand for mobile devices, including laptops and tablets in the coming months. According to TrendForce, "long-term pent-up market demand will likely rebound from rock-bottom levels, resulting in a forecasted yearly revenue of $15.7 billion for the global LED industry next year, a 3.8% increase YoY." 

Global Semiconductors: Up 7%

Encouraging news for semiconductor sales typically means good news for several other segments of the electronics industry. November marked another positive month for global semiconductor sales. “Month-to-month sales tick up 1.1 percent in November,” the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reports. “Annual sales for 2020 on track to substantially outpace total from 2019.” By reaching $39.4 billion November 2020, industry sales increased 7% over the to the November 2019 total. How do the numbers breakdown around the world? According to SIA, year-to-year sales jumped 12.5% in the Americas, 6.5% in China, and 5.1% in Japan. Sales dipped a bit (-0.7), but not much, in Europe. Stay tuned for future updates on semiconductors. 

Teledyne Ushers in 2021 with FLIR Acquisition

Many Elektor members have both Teledyne and FLIR products on your workbenches. So, you’ll be interested to learn that Teledyne announced today its plan to acquire FLIR Systems for $8 billion. “FLIR’s commitment to innovation spanning multiple sensing technologies has allowed our company to grow into the multi-billion-dollar company it is today,” Earl Lewis, Chairman of FLIR, said in a release. “With our new partner’s platform of complementary technologies, we will be able to continue this trajectory, providing our employees, customers and stockholders even more exciting momentum for growth.” Check out these pages for more info about FLIR, new sensor tech, and test and measurement equipment. You can subscribe to our tags for immediate updates!

Updates on Semiconductors, LEDs, and More

Kick off 2021 by subscribing to Elektor’s Electronics News Byte tag for updates about the semiconductor market, LED technology, and much more. And while you are at it, sign up for Elektor’s E-Zine to receive new electronics projects, Q&As, and technical tutorials each week.