IC Insights Optimistic about Image Sensor Market

EETimes: IC Insights forecasts 10% annual growth of image sensor market in 2008, to reach $7.6 billion. CIS sales are expected to rise 19% in 2008 to $4.4 billion after falling 12 percent in 2007; CCDs are forecasted to decline 1% in 2008 to $3.2 billion compared to zero growth in 2007, said Rob Lineback, an analyst with IC Insights (Scottsdale, Ariz.).

Solid State Technology gives 2007 supplier rankings table:



One can see that 2007 was quite a bad year for Micron and even worse for STMicro.

Update: IC-Insights says that despite losing some ground in 2007 CMOS sensors continue to take on CCDs. CIS will account for 58% of image sensor sales in 2008 compared to 53% in 2007 and 46% in 2004. In 2012, CMOS devices are expected to represent 73% of total image sensor sales and 83% of total imager unit shipments.

In the next five years, image sensor growth will hinge on new and emerging applications, such as embedded cameras in portable computers, next-generation "hybrid" video/still-picture cameras, automotive-imaging safety systems, medical uses, toys and video games, and wireless video-security networks. All of these potentially high-growth applications will require CMOS technology, which can integrate pixels cells with image-processing functions on a single chip while supporting lower power consumption compared to CCDs.

Between 2002 and 2007, overall image sensor sales rose by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35%, driven by the explosion of CMOS-based camera cell phones and CCD-dominated digital still cameras. For the 2007-2012 forecast period, IC Insights is projecting sales will rise by a CAGR of 14% per year, which will push total image sensor revenues to $13.2 billion in 2012.

Update 2: One strange omission in the rankings is Samsung. I don't believe that Samsung does not belong to the leading five.