Riding the growth wave with advanced semiconductor packaging’s role in the global tech renaissance

Advanced packaging encompasses new-age methods of chip packaging over traditional techniques, which enhance performance, reduce power consumption, and increase integration density. Increased demand for consumer wearable devices, home appliances, and smartphones is driving the demand for advanced semiconductor packaging. Advanced IoT devices are also gaining traction among consumers, which is likely to boost the advanced semiconductor packaging market in the coming years. Various governments have introduced initiatives to promote semiconductor manufacturing and R&D. For example, the U.S., the CHIPS Act and the European Union's Digital Compass focus further on its domestic semiconductor supply chains. Investing in companies focusing on such initiatives may prove advantageous. With the rollout of 5G and the increased growth of millimeter-wave technology, there will be a growing need for advanced packaging solutions that can handle such frequencies. The greatest drive for innovation in packaging will focus on meeting requirements with a minimum loss of signal while assuring improved thermal performance. It also provides a forum for discussing advancements in microelectronic packaging under the umbrella of the International Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society. Fan-out Wafer-Level Packaging has found its way into widespread popularity since it can integrate multiple die into a single package and has excellent thermal and electrical performance. The advantage for mobile and IoT applications also makes integration of such advanced packaging solutions continue to pick up fast in the automotive industry with growth due to electric vehicles and autonomous driving technologies. Advanced packaging represents one of the critical factors behind the reliability and performance of systems in a hostile automobile environment. For instance, In November 2023, Resonac, a Japan-based chip materials maker, announced that it planned to establish a research and development center for advanced semiconductor packaging and materials in Silicon Valley

According to the research report, “Global Semiconductor Advance Packaging Market Research Report 2029” published by Actual Market Research, the market is anticipated to cross USD 50 Billion by 2029, increasing from USD 36.15 Billion in 2023. The market is expected to grow with a 6.61% CAGR from 2024 to 2029. The demand for miniaturized, high-performance electronics, particularly for applications in smartphones, tablets, IoT devices, and wearable technologies underlines the semiconductor advanced packaging market. With growing adoption of AI-based and 5G technologies, demand for advanced semiconductor packaging solutions that facilitate processing power improvement, data transfer speed enhancement, and energy efficiency is increasing. With the rapid development of electric vehicles and autonomous driving systems, advanced packaging with the capability to integrate so many complex electronics is required. With data centers continuing to scale and cloud computing present now in such a broad landscape, advanced packaging solutions are desperately needed in order to be able to boost the performance of server and HPC systems and reduce their power consumption. Edge computing, which becomes crucial as IoT devices proliferate and so does the need for instantaneous data processing, is no exception. New innovations in packaging solutions are being developed to sustain smaller, more efficient edge devices which support localized processing at the edge with reduced latency. Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. has recently launched its Integrated Design Ecosystem (IDE) in October 2023 a collaborative design toolset optimized to enhance advanced package architecture across the VIPack platform. This disruptive approach enables a seamless transition from single-die SoC to multi-die disaggregated IP blocks, including chiplets and memory, for integration using either 2.5D or advanced fan-out structures. The IDE is focused on incremental improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of advanced packaging over time as semiconductor technology continues its progression to meet evolving needs. New materials, including organic substrates and advanced interconnects, are under development to enhance performance and reliability.

North America is a healthy market for semiconductor advanced packaging. The region has the world's leading semiconductor players and technology businesses. The U.S. is dominating the market due to innovative packaging technology like SiP and FOWLP, where demand in consumer electronics, automotive electronics, and IoT applications are more on the increase. Further prospects for the market's growth will be added by efforts from the government to encourage domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Key players in the market such as Intel, Qualcomm, and AMD are all put out their might and effort in investing an enormous amount of money into advanced packaging technology to stay ahead in the competition. The EU semiconductor advanced packaging market is both established and new. Germany, France, and the Netherlands drive new insights at the forefront, focusing on research and development in semiconductor technologies. This European market has strategic collaborations and partnerships for enhanced packaging solutions. The EU commitment to digital transformation and green technology initiatives further brings investments in advanced packaging technologies. The demand for electric vehicles and smart home devices is further fuelling market growth, with Infineon and STMicroelectronics being two of the most significant contributors to the region. The Asia-Pacific region is the biggest in terms of the semiconductor advanced packaging market, led by China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. Within this region are several industry leaders and foundries like TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix, investing heavily in advanced packaging technologies to cater to growing demand for miniaturized and efficient electronic components. Expansion of the automotive industry, adoption of AI and IoT applications, population of consumer electronics, and semiconductor manufacturing and packaging are some of the vital growth factors for this region. Government support further enhances the region's competitive position in the global market.

South America is a relatively new player in the semiconductor advanced packaging market, but it provides promising growth potential. The major companies in the region are Brazil and Argentina, which currently invest more and more in the electronics industry. Consumers' demand for consumer electronics and the digital transformation in almost all sectors of the economy also leverage the requirement for advanced packaging solutions. However, economic instability and a lack of local manufacturing facilities will slow the growth rate. The new policies rolled out by regional governments to spur growth in the semiconductor sector present a plethora of investment opportunities into high-end packaging technologies. Increasing digitalization and infrastructure development will be major drivers in the Middle East & Africa region. Countries like the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and Israel will emerge as hotspots, with tremendous government encouragement towards inviting the innovative technology as well as the semiconductor's manufacturing culture. Advanced packaging solutions are increasingly sought after in telecommunications, automotive, and healthcare industries. In this sector, investments in smart technologies and IoT applications can be regarded as a major driver that is still relatively in its development stage.

Flip Chip technology, since it can reduce package size as well as lengths of interconnects, thus integrates well for smaller devices like smartphones and wearables. It also provides better function, while minimizing thermal resistance. Embedded Die integrates chips directly into substrates, and there is still more possible miniaturization as well as enhanced electrical performance characteristics which are crucial for many of today's applications such as IoT products and high-performance computing. Another prominent advantage of Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging is that it offers excellent thermal management and performance efficiency. The conventional substrates are not present in this approach and therefore provide much smaller form factors along with low production costs. It is highly in use in consumer electronics where integration and functionality assume importance. Another one critical technology is the 2.5D/3D packaging technologies that facilitate the possibility of placing or stacking multiple chips side by side in a single package, thereby significantly increasing processing power and speed while keeping the footprint constrained. This is particularly important in fields like telecommunication and automotive where the demand for high-speed data processing is building dramatically because of the deployment of the 5G network and advanced driver-assistance systems.

Bonding wires and lead frames are considered important parts of traditional semiconductor packaging. The reason is that the bonding wire serves for the electrical connection from a semiconductor chip to its package, while lead frames serve to give structural support. These components are still important due to reliability and manufacturing processes which have proven their record, particularly in the automotive and consumer electronics business. On the other hand, ceramic packages are growing in popularity mainly for high-performance applications, where high-performance cooling and reliability are in question. Their ruggedness also makes them suitable for use in industries such as aerospace and defense, where devices would need to be built to withstand extreme conditions without sacrificing performance. Material interests thus encompass two other essential areas which include encapsulants and die-attach materials, these being critical components to ensure that the semiconductor devices perform within their environmental conditions and yet demonstrate long-term reliability. With an ever-increasing quest for compact, efficient packaging solutions for the industry, encapsulants and die-attach materials are gaining ever greater relevance today, especially with new applications like IoT devices and AI.

Consumer electronics is still the sector that leads the semiconductor packaging market. Growing demand for advanced devices, including smartphones and tablets, along with wearables increases the demand for innovative packaging solutions- compact and more cost-effective, with performance optimized to fit specific applications. Consumer preference for smart, connected devices has accelerated at an exponential rate, and this accelerates semiconductor technologies' advancement, thereby packaging market's growth. The packaging application and growth in the automotive sector are quite strong. The main drivers of this business are the increasing demand for connected vehicles and electric vehicles. The advanced driver-assistance systems, infotainment systems, and vehicle-to-everything communication technologies are forcing demand for semiconductor solutions with more complex packaging. Combining the world’s automotive and telecommunications technologies only adds to this growth since vehicles rely on high-speed connectivity for data management and safety protocols. The semiconductor packaging sector is just as vital in the area of telecommunications. Deployed 5G networks and the necessity to cater to the trend towards higher-speed data transmission necessitate more advanced solutions by semiconductors. With the expansion of connected devices, efficiency in packaging will thus be increased to serve the enhanced performance needs of telecommunication infrastructure. Use of technology in medical devices has driven the need for highly specialized semiconductor packaging in healthcare. Advances in telemedicine and remote patient monitoring demand reliable, compact semiconductor solutions that can function reliably within medical applications. This trend will continue as healthcare providers increasingly turn to digital solutions to improve the delivery of patient care. Data centers, IoT devices, aerospace & defense, and industrial applications are included as contributing to the semiconductor packaging market. The emergence of high-performance computing, and strong connectivity in these areas further highlights the need for advanced semiconductor packaging solutions.