Consumers today demand compact portable products such as personal digital assistants (PDA's), notebooks, MP3 players, and cell phones that integrate numerous functions in a single electronic device.The use of power management integrated circuits (ICs) in portable devices simplifies operations and economizes on space. These ICs are utilized as charge pumps for driving white light emitting diodes (LEDs) that are used in backlight and for flash mechanism in digital cameras. With their increasing usage as voltage regulators for powering external components and as battery chargers for lithium-ion batteries, power management ICs are likely to generate substantial revenue, especially in Asia.

This research analyzes the power management ICs market, the factors driving it, and the challenges it is currently facing. It gives a comprehensive view of various product segments such as switching converters, voltage regulators and references, integrated application specific standard product (ASSP) power management ICs, and motor control ICs. This research service focuses on the market trends, end-user forecasts, and recent developments with in-depth market forecasts and competitive analysis.

Asia a Booming Market and Important Cost-Cutting Center

The escalating demand for multifunctional features in end-use products can be met by investing significantly in R&D. Due to the economic slowdown in 2001, efforts toward technological innovations were replaced by those toward cost cutting. "Reviving global economy and escalating consumer purchasing power in Asia is urging manufacturers to restart investing huge amounts in R&D and focus on expanding their product portfolio to cater to a wide application range," explains the analyst.

Most power management ICs manufacturers have observed the growth potential in Asia and consider it as the fastest growing economy in the world. This, coupled with the advantages of abundant skilled labor, low labor and installation costs, has motivated power management IC manufacturers to shift production activities to Asia. Other manufacturers are resorting to efficient use of resources and reduction of overhead costs.

Multifunctional Products to Create Demand for Power Management ICs

Feature-rich products requiring multiple supply voltage on a single board may create a surge in demand for more complex power management ICs. Today, a single cell phone, for instance, can combine a digital camera, Internet access, multimedia features, and game consoles. Each of these requires different output voltages, which leads to overcrowding of the circuits, hence, integrated solutions capable of handling such a wide array of uses is required. "Manufacturers of power management ICs are facing huge challenges to make denser and smaller chips that are capable of integrating multiple functions in a single product," notes the analyst.

In addition to ICs that handle multiple voltage output functions, manufacturers are likely to benefit from ICs with improved efficiency, better switching and power handling capabilities, sensitivity to electro-magnetic interferences, noise-less operation, and the ability to deal with reducing quiescent current.

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