TOUCH CONTROLLER IC MARKET GLOBAL FORECAST & ANALYSIS (2011–2016) BY TECHNOLOGY, BY PRODUCTS TYPES, BY APPLICATIONS (Entertainment, Infotainment, Retail, Education, Medical, Banking, & Industrial), & BY GEOGRAPHY (North America, Europe, APAC, & ROW)

The touch controller IC market is experiencing a high growth due to the emergence of natural user interface (NUI) devices and is being predominantly driven by the rapid penetration of touch systems in consumer electronics. The touch controller IC market segmentation revolves around the four major market parameters, namely; products, applications, technology, and geography.

In 2011, revenue of the touch controller market was only 0.4% of the total semiconductor industry, which grossed $312.5 billion in the same year. By the year 2016, this share is expected to increase to 1.65%. This indicates increase in the adoption of touch controller IC for various applications. As more number of touch screen products is made available, the market will see growth in verticals such as retail, ticketing, smart advertisement, and interactive displays.

The touch controller IC market is mapped against geography in two different types; one, according to the demand shown by the particular region and, second, according to the supply of the touch controllers from various regions. The geography is divided in to four regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and Rest of the World (ROW). The demand analysis gives insight about the four regions considered. APAC’s demand is expected to grow at an astonishing CAGR of 50%, calculated from the year 2011 to 2016. The supply analysis shows the skewed figures; with more than 60% of the supply of touch controller ICs coming from North America. Most of the major touch controller IC manufacturers are headquartered in the U.S., and therefore North America has the increased share in supply. By the year 2016, the demand for the touch controller ICs from North America, Europe, and APAC is expected to account approximately 30% each.

The applications for the touch controller IC market are broadly divided in to three segments; consumer application, commercial application, and industrial application. Each of the application segments is further divided in to the specific application such as retail, education, transport, medical, entertainment, and infotainment. There is a large imbalance observed in the revenues contributed by each of the applications. In 2011, more than 80% of the revenues were contributed by the consumer application segment. This trend is due to the large volume market for the mobile phone and tablet controller ICs.

The product market for the touch controller ICs is divided according to the touch panel working principle. It is observed that resistive type and capacitive type together acquired about 85% of the total market in the year 2011. The capacitive touch controllers are expected to continue their dominance and by the year 2016, about 55% of the total market would be acquired by them.