As End-user Markets Mature, AC-DC Switching Power Supply Looks to New Markets and Applications.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- With electronics present in a wide variety of applications today, the demand for AC-DC switching power supply (SPS) expects to be more or less constant. SPS products are also finding new opportunities in an expanding range of end-user applications.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (www.powersupplies.frost.com), World AC/DC Switching Power Supply (SPS) Markets, reveals that the total market generated revenue of $6,610.0 million in 2003 and expects to reach $9,264.3 million in 2010 at an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5 percent.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end-users and other industry participants an overview of the latest analysis of the World AC/DC Switching Power Supply (SPS) Markets, send an e-mail to Trisha Bradley - Corporate Communications at [e-mail] with the following information: your full name, company name, title, telephone number, fax number and e-mail. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be sent to you via e-mail.

However, since many of the end-user markets for power supplies such as the telecommunications and industrial sectors are mature, the demand for SPS has stagnated. Diversifying into new geographic regions and novel applications is likely to create additional demand.

"Applications such as gaming consoles, LED and signage displays, plasma/LCD televisions, and other innovative consumer electronic goods are growing, providing a strong demand for AC-DC SPS," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst G.V. Suryanarayana Raju. "Development in the Asia Pacific market is also expected to give a major boost to the power supplies industry."

Despite their maturity, the telecom and industrial applications markets offer some potential for SPS. These applications implement distributed power architecture (DPA) and intermediate bus architecture (IBA) systems -- that use more DC-DC converters -- in place of the AC-DC units. However, the use of DPA and IBA offers a renewed demand for the single output AC-DC SPS in the form of front ends.

Demand is also likely to be driven by the increasingly popular trend of using digital controls that are perceived to bring many benefits to end users such as improved efficiency and faster responses.

"With only a few vendors currently developing such products, end-user demand for them is still relatively low," notes Raju. "However, as end users become more aware of the benefits of this design, there is likely to be a surge in demand for these products, making it essential for vendors to remain at the forefront of product development."

Digital controls, which offer superior output performance, can help in gaining a strong advantage over analog systems. They could also help generate replacement and upgradation demand. This is a crucial factor since AC-DC SPS, particularly those in the low range, are commodity products and vendors resort to constant price reductions in their efforts to win orders.

Adding value to the product through enhanced voltage and output monitoring and controlling features will, therefore, help vendors charge a premium on their products and make up for the price reductions.

Since many high power applications are non-critical, end users often tend to use linear power supplies that are less expensive than SPS.

"The standardization of SPS products is expected to provide the solution to this challenge," says Raju. "This is likely to increase volume sales of SPS due to lower product costs achieved by economies of scale."

In higher power applications, the development in the designs of switching power supplies with improved power electronics and topologies expects to provide a much efficient and economic solution in comparison to the linear designs.

World AC/DC Switching Power Supply (SPS) Market, part of the 9919 subscription, offers a comprehensive analysis of the global AC-DC SPS market segmented by power range into low (1 to 300 watts), medium (301 to 750 watts), high (751 to 1,500 watts), very high (1,501 to 2000 watts), and extremely high (2,001 and above watts) range. The research provides detailed regional and end-user analysis for each segment, to help assess the potential of each segment. It also highlights major technological trends. Executive summaries and interviews are available to the press.

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community, by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more information, visit http://www.frost.com

World AC-DC Switching Power Supply (SPS) Market

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Keywords in this release: switching power supply, SPS, AC/DC, electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer electronic applications, Asia Pacific, distributed power architecture, DPA, intermediate bus architecture, IBA, DC-DC converters, digital controls, analog systems, linear power supplies, standardization, research, information, market, trends, technology, service, forecast