Emerging Markets and Technologies
Avnet Silica - At the Pulse of the Market
Working with thousands of customers across EMEA to bring advanced systems to life, establishing long-standing partnerships with leading semiconductor manufacturers, and having a team of FAE experts means that we're always at the pulse of the market. This allows us to provide our customers with frequent, valuable insights, as well as work closely with tech startups and support them throughout their journey to market and beyond.
From edge AI to industrial automation, from custom power to wireless connectivity, we support the full journey from concept to production.
Emerging Tech Markets Signal Strong Growth Through 2028
Avnet Silica's findings highlight robust growth across several emerging technology sectors despite a maturing global semiconductor market. Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to lead the charge, with AI chip markets sustaining a 19% CAGR and Edge AI applications, spanning automotive ADAS, industrial automation, and IoT, projected to grow at a staggering 27% CAGR. This surge is underpinned by rising demand for custom silicon, data centre infrastructure, and AI-enabled edge devices.
Automotive semiconductors are also accelerating, with the total market expected to grow at 5% CAGR. High-Performance Computing (HPC) within vehicles is forecast to expand at 19% CAGR, while Electrified Powertrains and ADAS are set to grow at 10% and 9% respectively. EVs remain the fastest-growing segment, with a 12% CAGR through 2028.
Industrial markets are seeing a resurgence, particularly in smart industry and automation. The industrial vertical is forecast to grow at 8% CAGR, driven by smart robotics (70.3% CAGR), agriculture tech (17%), and transportation infrastructure (11%). Asset tracking technologies are embedded within these trends, especially in agriculture and logistics.
Meanwhile, the communication sector (bolstered by 5G and IoT) continues to dominate with a 5.0% CAGR, and the IP&E market is growing steadily at 5.1% CAGR, supporting electrification and connectivity across verticals.
Together, these trends reflect a shift toward more stable, application-driven growth, with AI, electrification, and automation at the core of future semiconductor and component demand.
5G
As of April 2025, there are over 2.25 billion 5G connections worldwide. Accelerating at a pace four times faster than 4G during its comparable growth phase.
Autonomous Vehicles and ADAS
ADAS includes a range of features designed to improve driver safety and convenience, such as automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. Autonomous driving technology takes this concept a step further.
Smart Factories & Industrial Automation
The future of industrial automation is efficiency. If we can improve the efficiency of the electronics powering smart factories, we can make big reductions in carbon emissions, as well as decreasing usage costs.
AI Data Centres
The rapid growth of AI use is expected to drive a 160% increase in data centre power demand by 2030. By some estimates, data centres already consume up to 3% of the world’s electricity, so there is enormous pressure to reduce energy consumption.
Renewables: Solar Power
Worldwide electricity consumption is growing fast, expected to rise by circa 4% annually from now to 2027. Solar photo voltaic (PV) generation is forecast to provide about half of this extra electricity, driven by falling PV prices and net zero aims.
Space 2.0 & Versal
The demand for more processing capability on the edge of space is pushing the limits of power design. Making power supplies radiation-tolerant and more efficient will help keep the satellite industry launching.
AI, Generative AI, AI at the Edge & LLMs
Despite its immense potential, AI is a complex and rapidly evolving engineering discipline, which can make mastering it a daunting task. We support businesses with not only AI, but Generative AI, AI at the Edge, LLMs and more.
Renewables: Wind Power
To meet global goals for emissions reductions, we need to generate more electricity from renewables – and lots of it. Solar photo voltaic (PV) systems may be the centre of attention, but wind power is also a vital contributor to our net zero push.
Vehicle Electrification, Bidirectional Charging & 48V Systems
Moving from existing 12V systems to 48V promises reductions in wiring harness size and cost, with improved efficiency. Learn more about powering the next wave of electric vehicles and bidirectional charging.
Asset Tracking
Avnet Silica and its leading suppliers are supporting a number of businesses across EMEA to revolutionise their asset tracking systems and procedures, making their business smarter, more profitable and giving them an advantage over their competition.
Robotics & Smart Industry
Your smart industry vision becomes a reality when you have a partner, like Avnet Silica, whose expertise around interoperability, security, and connectivity, can make your vision a reality, faster.
Wide Bandgap Power Technology
With the ongoing shift to renewable energy and the electrification of transport and industry, the demand for higher power and greater energy efficiency in electronics is increasing. Enter wide bandgap technology!
We Talk IoT Podcast
We Talk IoT is an IoT and smart industry podcast that keeps you up to date with major developments in the world of the internet of things, IIoT, artificial intelligence, and cognitive computing. Our guests are leading industry experts, business professionals, and experienced journalists as they discuss some of today’s hottest tech topics and how they can help boost your bottom line.
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The Trendliner
Avnet Silica's 'Trendliner' explores the latest semiconductor lead times, pricing trends and insights on:
- Discrete
- Analog & Logic
- Market Overview
- Supplier Specifics
- Product Life News
On-Demand Webinars
Stay on track with the latest market and technology trends via Avnet Silica's Digital Event Experience Portal (DEEP). Explore hundreds of on-demand webinars in partnership with our leading supplier partners and access all via a single sign-up. Browse by most recent or discover webinars on specific topics such as AI/ML, Automotive, Power, Aerospace and many more.
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At Avnet Silica, we believe that every great innovation starts with a bold idea and a trusted partner. That’s why we’ve created a dedicated initiative to support electronics startups on their journey from concept to market-ready product. Whether you're designing next-gen hardware, embedded systems, or breakthrough IoT solutions, we’re here to climb with you, step by step, as you reach new heights.
Learn more about some of the startups we've already supported, meet the founders behind these inspiring stories, hear their journeys, and see how their innovations came to life with support from Avnet Silica.
Learn MoreWe Talk IoT podcasts featuring the startups we've supported
Episode 68: Shush Money: How Hydronauten's Silent Pumps Save Millions in Energy Costs
In this episode, we conclude our special series on the Advanced Electronics Challenge with the winners themselves: Johannes Büker, CEO, and Paul Werner, CTO of Hydronauten GmbH. Their innovative solution addresses a significant hidden energy drain – pumps consume approximately 30% of the EU's electricity.
Hydronauten addresses two critical challenges simultaneously: reducing harmful vibrations that damage infrastructure and residents' quality of life while dramatically improving energy efficiency. Their "quiet hydro technology" applies noise-cancelling principles to pump systems, enabling 20-30% energy savings and opening new possibilities for grid stabilisation.
Johannes and Paul explain how their technology transforms existing pump installations into smart, efficient systems that can help stabilise renewable energy grids. The conversation reveals how pump-based grid stabilisation could have prevented recent power outages in Spain and Portugal and why this overlooked technology represents a crucial piece of the renewable energy puzzle.
Episode 67: Cycle Breakers: How Belle Health's Smart Ring is Transforming Women's Health
In this episode, we explore the cutting-edge intersection of femtech and medical innovation with Victoria Schoeffel and Rafael Schaider from Belle Health, the second-place winners of the Advanced Electronics Challenge at Electronica 2025.
Belle Health tackles one of the most overlooked areas of healthcare: the impact of hormonal fluctuations on women's health. Their solution combines a therapy app with a smart ring to track physiological data, helping women understand and manage premenstrual symptoms, including the severe condition PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder).
Victoria and Rafael discuss the shocking 12-year average diagnostic delay for PMDD, how their technology can reduce this to months, and why women's physiology remains an afterthought in both medicine and electronics development. They explain how their evidence-based approach brings together psychological interventions with real-time physiological monitoring.
Tune in to discover how this German startup is pioneering a data-driven approach to women's health that could transform diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life for millions of women worldwide.
Episode 66: Diamonds are forever, PFAS not: How CiX Greentech purifies water
In this episode, we explore the future of water purification with Timo Fromm and Rudolf Borchardt from CiX Greentech, a German startup tackling one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.
CiX has developed a smart, ready-to-use purification module that uses diamond electrodes and electricity to eliminate micropollutants such as pharmaceutical residues, hormones, bacteria, viruses – and persistent chemicals like PFAS.
Timo and Rudolf discuss their journey from nanotechnology research to winning third place in the Advanced Electronics Challenge at embedded world 2025. We discuss the science behind their solution, potential industrial applications, and how their technology helps protect water systems and public health.
Tune in to learn how deep tech and hardware innovation can drive real impact – one drop at a time.
Episode 53: Revolutionizing Gas Cylinder Management
This week, we have the co-founders of GasVisor, a cutting-edge IoT solution for managing CO₂ gas cylinders, on the show. They want to revolutionise the gas industry with their real-time monitoring and automated reordering system and promote sustainability and safety.
Join us as we explore their entrepreneurial journey, their diverse international team, and their commitment to a greener future.