Broadcom Leading Supplier of Embedded Processors in the Digital Home in 2008

LONDON, England — Analysis of findings from Semicast’s report “Opportunities for Embedded Processors in the Digital Home” shows that Broadcom was the leading supplier in 2008, ahead of Sony and Toshiba.

The Digital Home encompasses a range of high tech electronics equipment, including games consoles, MP3 players, cameras/camcorders, digital TVs, set-top boxes, DVD recorders/players, home networking gear and an array of other consumer electronics such as portable navigation systems, satellite radio receivers and digital photo frames.

The Digital Home is a key market for suppliers of embedded processors and with revenues of $25 billion in 2008, it accounted for almost ten per cent of all semiconductor sales last year. With revenues forecast to grow to over $29 billion in 2014, the Digital Home is set to become a key battleground for suppliers looking for new opportunities as the global economy stabilizes and returns to growth in the years ahead.

The list of leading suppliers of embedded processors in the Digital Home includes a number of well known multinational consumer electronics companies, such as NEC Electronics, Samsung, Sony Corp. and Toshiba. To this can be added NXP Semiconductors (which was spun out of Philips Electronics in 2006) and Renesas Technology (which was spun out of Hitachi and Mitsubishi). However the leading supplier, which has almost no consumer brand recognition, is Broadcom.

Founded in 1991, Broadcom’s position as the leading supplier of embedded processors in the Digital Home clearly reflects a vision of the increasing sophistication and complexity of home electronics products. Today Broadcom has embedded processor solutions for most applications in the home, including digital TVs, set-top boxes, DVD recorders and home networking gear, along with solutions for Bluetooth and GPS. Colin Barnden, Principal Analyst at Semicast Research and study author, commented “Through a combination of close customer relationships, innovative semiconductor solutions and leading edge designs, Semicast judges that Broadcom is well placed to maintain its leadership position in this market in 2009”.

Worldwide Market Share Estimates for Suppliers of Embedded Processors in The Digital Home in 2008:

Broadcom             11.5%
Sony                  9.6%
Toshiba               6.8%
NXP Semiconductors    5.1%
STMicroelectronics    4.3%
Others               62.7%

Source: Semicast Research (October 2009)

More: Report brochure