MCU Market Trends & Growth in 2025

Microcontrollers, or MCUs, are widely used in various applications such as consumer electronics, automotive, industrial automation, medical devices, and more. The global market value of MCUs was $21.9 billion in 2021, with major suppliers including NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics, STMicroelectronics, Infineon Technologies, Texas Instruments, and Microchip Technology. NXP Semiconductors holds the largest global market share at 17.3%.

MCUs are small, programmable computer chips designed for specific purposes, serving as the "brain" of nearly all electronic devices or consumer products today. They consist of a processor, memory, and input/output peripherals, all on a single integrated circuit.

MCUs are typically low-power and low-cost devices, with limited processing power and memory compared to general-purpose computers. However, they are optimized for real-time control, capable of executing simple tasks at high efficiency. They also offer high flexibility, as their programs can be easily modified to fit different applications and requirements.

With the widespread adoption of smart or connected devices in the IoT field, MCUs have become ubiquitous in modern products and machinery. According to Statista data on the application categories of global semiconductor market revenue from 2020 to 2023, the smart phone semiconductor market value is expected to be $144 billion in 2022, and one of the main applications of the global semiconductor industry by 2025 will be smart phones.

As with the past decade, semiconductor market revenue and total shipments are increasing. New market drivers and applications continue to emerge, driving the growth of semiconductor shipments, and MCUs will also be used more widely in more devices to improve computing efficiency and reduce energy consumption. As an electronic components distributor, it's important to keep up with the increasing demand for MCUs and be able to provide customers with a wide range of options from various suppliers.