Ranking of 8-bit MCU market shows Microchip back on top

20 May 2015 News

Microchip Technology has reclaimed the top spot in worldwide 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) revenue, according to industry analyst firm Gartner’s recently published 2014 rankings.

While many MCU vendors have de-emphasised their 8-bit offerings in recent years, Microchip’s continued innovation across its 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit product lines is bearing fruit in all three areas. In the 16-bit MCU market, it was the fastest-growing supplier among the top 10 in 2014, growing at greater than double the rate of any of the other top 10 companies. Its 32-bit MCUs broke into the top 10 ranking of suppliers for the first time in 2014, based on 42,3% growth.

Microchip’s CEO, Steve Sanghi, has made no secret of the fact that it has been gunning for one competitor’s market share in particular. “Four years ago, it took the merger of three Japanese semiconductor giants – NEC, Hitachi and Mitsubishi in the form of Renesas – to knock us off the #1 spot for 8-bit MCUs. We said at the time that we would work relentlessly to gain market share and wrest back the #1 spot. Following their merger in 2010, Renesas’ 8-bit MCU business was 41% larger than ours. In every year since 2010, we closed the gap, and in 2014 we regained our leadership position, finishing 10,5% higher than Renesas.”

For more information visit www.microchip.com

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