2011 packaged GaN LED revenues to decline 6 percent to $8 billion on weakness in backlighting

ENGLAND, UK: After 60 percent growth in 2010, the gallium nitride (GaN) LED market is now expected to fall 6 percent in 2011 to $8 billion as shown in the figure and reported in IMS Research’s latest Quarterly GaN LED Supply/Demand Report which tracks and forecasts all aspects of the LED market quarterly.

The decline can be attributed to:
* A widening surplus resulting in significant pricing pressure as supply grew nearly 3X faster than demand from 2010 to 2011, resulting in depressed LED factory utilization levels. As quantified in this report, the LED surplus rose from a relatively healthy 7 percent in 2010 to 45 percent in 2011, and is predicted to widen further in 2012.

* With both panel shipments and LED penetration below expectations and average LED prices for backlighting declining 34 percent on a volume weighted average basis on depressed utilization, backlighting revenues fell 13 percent to $4.8 billion. ASPs for certain backlighting markets were down as much as 45 percent in 2011. As a result, backlighting fell from 64 percent of 2010 GaN LED revenues to 59 percent of 2011 GaN LED revenues and are likely to continue falling on a percentage basis in the future as backlight markets become saturated and the lighting market accelerates.

* LED revenues for TVs are expected to fall 5 percent in 2011 to $1.9 billion as the penetration is only expected to reach 39 percent, down from the previous estimate of 43 percent.

However, the GaN LED market is expected to recover, enjoying annual growth each year from 2012 to 2015 including double-digit growth in 2013 and 2014 as the lighting market accelerates. Highlights include:

* The 2012 market is expected to grow 5 percent, but still remain below 2010 levels.

* Backlighting is expected to be flat on slower unit growth and price reductions, while lighting is expected to be up 30% as LED lamp penetration jumps as prices continue to fall.

* Lighting revenues are expected to overtake TV revenues for GaN LEDs in 2012, a year earlier than previously predicted. This is a result of increasing LED lighting demand on lower pricing while reducing the LED outlook in TVs on lower penetration than previously predicted along with the use of low cost direct LED backlights in developing markets.

* The low cost direct LED backlights use around ½ the LED die area as conventional edge backlights due to significantly reducing the brightness specification along with adopting a thicker form factor that allows wide viewing angle packages to be adopted which further reduces the number of LEDs required. While the adoption of these new low cost direct-type backlights will narrow the cost differential with CCFL LCD TVs, the thicker form factor and reduced brightness capability will narrow their appeal.

* The lighting share of the GaN LED market is expected to surge from 21 percent in 2011 to 49 percent in 2016 with lighting LED revenues expected to grow >300 percent and units expected to grow >1500 percent over this period.Source: IMS Research, UK.