In the past few years, Radio Frequency (RF) applications have received a boost from the implementation of GaN technology. The main GaN RF market drivers remain telecom and defense applications. The total GaN RF market will increase from $740M to more than $2B by 2025, with a CAGR of 12%.
In telecom infrastructure, the aftermath of U.S. sanctions related to Huawei slowed the GaN based Remote Radio Head (RRH) market in 2019 and pushed OEMs to restructure their supply chain for the coming years. Nevertheless, GaN deployment will remain the same for the longterm. In Active Antenna Systems (AAS), the increase in bandwidth will favor increasing GaN implementation. Also, small cells and backhaul connections will see an impressive deployment of GaN in the coming years.
In military applications, with investments from governments to improve their national security by replacing Travelling Wave Tube (TWT)-based systems, defense will remain one of the GaN RF market’s main drivers. Radar is the main driver in military applications, mainly due to the increase of T/R modules in new GaN based Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) systems and stringent requirements for lightweight devices for airborne systems. The total GaN RF military market will surpass $1.1B in 2025, at a CAGR of 22%.
For handset, GaN’s high performance and small form factor could attract OEMs. The adoption of GaN PA will depend on the evolution over the next five years of GaN’s technology maturity, supply chain, and cost, as well as OEM strategies. What does the future hold for GaN PA in the handset market?
This report conveys Yole Développement’s (Yole) understanding of GaN implementation in different market segments. It also includes an extensive overview of 5G’s impact on the wireless infrastructure and RF Front Ends (FEs), along with the GaN-based military market. Furthermore, Yole shares its view of the market’s current dynamics and future evolution.
