Chip demand for IP network camera applications has grown significantly to support remote work and education activities driven by the coronavirus pandemic, and Taiwan specialty IC designers are expected to see their third-quarter 2020 revenues bolstered further by robust shipments of relevant new chipsets, according to industry sources.
IP network cameras are coupled with notebooks as crucial devices for stay-at-home activities, and Taiwanese IC designers including Sonix Technology, Silicon Optronics and PixArt Imaging have seen their shipments of video/image controllers and CMOS image sensors (CIS) grow robustly over the past few months, with the momentum expected to persist into the third quarter as work from home will be a new normal even after the pandemic ebbs, the sources said.
The chip vendors have also rolled out new IP camera chips solutions to match design requirements for new notebook models, highlighting chip miniaturization, online firmware updates and information security mechanisms.
Sonix, for instance, has launched notebook camera chips that can support Window Hello v4.1 facial identification log-in system, and Silicon Optronics is also set to release chipsets for new consumer-use IP cameras soon, the sources said.
Sonix has seen shipments of video and image chips shoot up 119% on year so far 2020, the sources said. The company, also a MCU provider, and domestic peers Holtek Semiconductor and Hycon Technology are also expected to maintain notable shipment momentum for forehead thermometer MCUs in the third quarter as such thermometers will remain in demand as anti-virus gears.
Article translated by Willis Ke
