Need For Radiation Hardened Device For Low-earth-orbit Will Drive The Growth of Radiation Hardened MCU Market

Growth of Satellite technology, Aerospace Industry, Nuclear Industry and Others is Anticipated to Boost Radiation Hardened MCU Market during the Forecast Period 2021-2026. Radiation Hardened MCU Market Size is forecast to reach $1.7 Billion in 2026 from $1.4 Billion in 2020 growing at a CAGR of 3.5% during 2021 to 2026. 

Micro/Nanosatellites are becoming one of the key focused areas in the space industry. Radiation hardened MCU are increasingly employed into Nano-satellites for integration of electronic system which also refers to an refers to an on-board computer (OBC) for the management of the core, and also suitable for the formation of information link between the equipment. In 2019, OneWeb introduced satellite-internet plans that includes a constellation of nearly 650 satellites to make web access easier around the world.  To help it work better the satellites need components and integrated circuits which can with stand sufficient space radiation, especially for critical communication components. These Microsatellites can be developed at a lower cost and under a reduced lead-time compared to conventional full-size satellites. Thus, they are expected to play a crucial role in space business and utilization. In addition, heavy government push towards their usage and surge in investment has provided the much-needed fillip to the space industry for microsatellite deployment. 

The electronics industry is developing high-reliability devices and components to suit a variety of space applications, and is tailoring different levels of reliability for specific missions where cost, and performance are top considerations. New generations of high-performance communications and reconnaissance orbiting satellites are using some of the most advanced radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant microcontrollers for mission reliability. Companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and OneWeb are receiving billions for health growth of the space industry. These companies have entered in the private spaceflight industry seeking to develop quick and affordable access to space, driven primarily by commercial considerations. The focus on lower cost in this sector has resulted in increased deployment of microcontrollers along with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronic technologies, open-systems architectures, standards-driven approaches, and design approaches that once would be considered unthinkable for space. With the revolution of New Space, the cheaper launches and ride share opportunities are available, and moreover leading to the evolution of small satellites which are more capable and most affordable, and that can meet the needs of benign radiation and short mission durations

Radiation Hardened MCU market in North America region held significant market share of 45% in 2020. The technological advancements, support from the government by providing various funds and initiatives are boosting the market in North America. In 2019, the government has committed to spend more than $1 billion for the development of aerospace sector. Similarly, Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) has launched an initiative called Vision 2025 for the development of Canadian Aerospace Sector especially for the production of advanced aircrafts. Moreover, the government of Canada has supported space research centers by providing various funds and support. In 2019, the federal government has committed to invest $85 million into the development of an advanced satellite technology by 2020. In February 2019, with the Canada’s new partnership in the NASA-led Lunar Gateway project the Government has announced to invest $2.05 billion over 24 years for Canada’s space program including $150 million for a new Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program. The rad-hard MCUs are used for several applications in space for subsystems like remote terminal controllers, data handling functions for satellites, constellations, launcher and several other critical avionics applications and Nuclear application. Hence these investments funding's and initiatives are analyzed to drive the market for rad-hard MCUs I the forecast period 2020-2025.

The defense industry demands ever increasing functionality in space-based equipment such as satellites, probes, and military weaponry. Also, as high altitude and low earth orbit aircraft become increasingly reliant on sophisticated electronics, the demand for radiation-hardened MCU significantly increases. Since the early 90s, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of America has started the research on the implementation and designing of digital radiation-hardened electronics for determining the test methods for assuring radiation hardness and the development of solutions for system-specific problems related to radiation effects. At the same time, the Defense Logistics Agency of the US controls the Rad-Hard devices such as MCUs which are combined with COTS products to be used in military for providing reliability can be used in harsh conditions of the military and defense. Furthermore, Department of Defense proposed a project to design microwave/millimeter wave single-chip integrated circuits which is also employ the development of radiation hardened electronic devices including MCUs, and this project was supported by the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) plan, which mainly aims at the application of elements in the outer space. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is planning to invest up to $170 million in foundry company SkyWater Technology for a multi-phase project to enhance microelectronics capabilities for the DoD and the Strategic Radiation Hardened (Rad-Hard) market. This is set to drive the adoption of advanced radiation hardened electronics including MCUs in the defense market.

The major companies in the Radiation Hardened MCU market include Texas Instruments, Vorago technologies, Microchip Technology, Inc., Renesas Electronics, Honeywell International, Inc., ST Microelectronics, Infenion Technology, Tower Semiconductors, BAE Systems, Cobham PLC. In May 2019, Cobham Advanced Electronic launched new LeanREL product family designed to meet the needs of small satellite and non-traditional spacecraft manufacturers. The LeanREL product family, comprised of microprocessors, microcontrollers, as well as memory and interface integrated circuits (Ics) and many other.