Global IC driver output grows by 8%, Taiwan IC design industry also sees growth

July 3, 2007

Global IC driver output will grow by 8% as LCD panel applications continue to grow, according to the Industrial Technology and Research Institute's Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK).

The IEK is predicting that this year IC drivers could reach 6.01 billion units, showing 17% year-on-year growth, with output projected to reach USD 8.62 billion, an 8% year-on-year increase.

IC drivers -- also referred to as driver IC -- are an essential component that control voltage and control power switching in electronic devices.

IEK Analyst Yang Ya-lan said that strong demand for LCD panels has prompted continued growth in the IC market in recent years. In 2006 statistics, IC driver output worldwide reached 5.15 billion units, showing 22% year-on-year growth, with total output for the year at USD 7.98 billion -- 10% growth.

With Taiwan optoelectronics companies such as AUO and Chi Mei emerging as important suppliers in the global market, Taiwan's IC driver industry has also shown robust development, said Yang.

In 2006, Taiwan's IC driver output totaled NTD 75.3 billion, growing nearly 30% year-on-year to comprise 24% of global output.
Yang projects that total production output for 2007 will rise to NTD 82.57 billion, a 9.6% increase.

(Central News Agency)

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