The electronics industry continues to grow and shows no sign of slowing down. Recent data on semiconductor sales has engineers, executives, and analysts excited about the future. Let’s review some of the most important electronics industry news stories from the past week.
 
  • Samsung Bumps Intel in Semiconductor Race: Samsung is now the #1 semiconductor supplier on the planet, according to a new report by IHS Markit. Samsung took in $62 billion in revenue to Intel’s $61.4 billion in 2017. All in all, semiconductor revenue shot up to $429.1 billion, which is an increase of 21.7%.
     
  • Space Electronics Market Growth: Stratview Research is reporting that it expects the global space electronics market will show healthy growth during the next five years. The research firm predicts the market will reach an estimated $1,557.9 million in 2023. Several factors are expected to drive such growth: "increasing production of satellites, especially small satellites; market entry of commercial space companies; increasing involvement of a number of countries in the space community; and an increased demand for reducing the cost of electronic components."
     
  • O-S-D Sales Boom: The optoelectronics, sensors/actuators and discretes (O-S-D) market is growing. According to a new report by IC Insights, revenues in three market segments increases 11% in 2017. The firm anticipates that "demand for O-S-D, CMOS imaging devices, light sensors and laser transmitters" will drive sales growth in 2018.
     
  • ESP32 Design Contest Deadline: The submission deadline for the ESP32 Design Contest is March 31, 2018. Prizes include a Siglent SDG5122 120-MHz Function Generator, Anet A6 Homelab 3-D Printer Kit, and more. Learn More
     
  • China Mulls Purchasing More US Chips: China might agree to purchase more semiconductor chips from US businesses, according to several recent reports. China is currently the world's largest semiconductor consumer. China would have to buy fewer chips from Taiwan and South Korea to achieve this. The reports come just days after the Trump Administration announced tariffs on roughly $60 billion of Chinese products.
 
Contact Elektor to discuss these stories or to submit news tips: