Neubiberg, Germany Infineon Technologies AG consolidated its position as global market leader in power semiconductors last year. With a market share of 12.3 per cent, the company came in first for the eleventh time in a row, according to a study carried out by IHS Inc, a business information provider. Infineon also took the lead for the first time in the market for MOSFET power transistors. These are very compact switches that are required, for example, in energy-efficient power supply units.
The global market for power semiconductors dropped by 0.3 per cent to around 15.4 billion US dollars in 2013. Despite this weaker environment, Infineon increased its turnover, thereby boosting its market share by 0.9 percentage points compared to the previous year to 12.3 per cent. In the MOSFET power transistor segment, the company enlarged its market share by 1.6 percentage points to 13.6 per cent, thereby becoming the largest provider in this segment for the first time. Infineon also gained market shares in the submarkets for discrete IGBT power transistors (first place with 24.7 per cent) and IGBT modules (second place with 20.5 per cent).
“Infineon’s strategy proved right: By taking the step from product-oriented thinking towards a systems-level perspective, we are offering our customers just the right products to become even more successful. Our continuous gains in the field of MOSFET power transistors are impressive evidence of this. Even in a weaker market phase, we have managed to continue on our growth path,” says Dr. Reinhard Ploss, CEO of Infineon Technologies AG.
Power semiconductors are available as discretes, as modules or assembled as stacks, depending on the area of application. They control and convert electrical power ranging from just a few watts to multiple megawatts.
Typical areas of application include the power supply of servers, notebooks, smartphones, tablets, consumer electronics and mobile communications infrastructure. In addition, power semiconductors are an important element in the electronic control of drive systems of all kinds (for example in pumps, ventilators and compressors) and are also used for the motor control of high-speed, regional, suburban and underground trains. In the automotive sector, they are used in the powertrain, comfort electronics (power windows, etc.) and safety systems (electronic power steering, etc.). They are also a fundamental element of hybrid and electric vehicles.
