Global Navigation Satellite System Chip Market Size

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Chip Market Analysis

The Global Navigation Satellite System Chip Market size in terms of shipment value is expected to grow from USD 7.92 billion in 2024 to USD 10.41 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 5.62% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the supply chain and production of semiconductors in the initial phase of 2020. For multiple chipmakers, the impact was more severe. Due to labor shortages, many packages and testing plants in the Asia-Pacific region reduced or even suspended operations. This also created a bottleneck for end-product companies that depend on semiconductors.

Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) essentially refers to the constellation of satellites that provide signals from space, transmit positioning, and data timing to the GNSS receivers. The receivers then use such data to determine various factors, such as location, speed, and altitude, combined with several sensors.

The precision and accuracy of such chips are primarily dependent on the satellites in the visibility range. As a result, multiple countries are eagerly trying to deploy regional constellations for better navigation and mapping. However, in the market, only five countries (China, Russia, the United States, India, and Japan) and the European Union have their GNSS systems.

GNSS users expect near-instantaneous position sharing speeds. This is often impossible with standard positioning as at least four satellites must be identified, and their complete data should be received. In adverse signal conditions or harsh environments, transmitting and receiving data can take minutes, hours, or even fail. However, the performance can be improved by integrating the GNSS receiver data with information from mobile network cells to benefit numerous applications in the IoT industry.

In January 2021, U-Blox announced its ALEX - R5 module, which integrates low-power wide-area (LPWA) cellular communication and GNSS technology into the system-in-package. The two key elements are the company's UBX - R5 LTE - M/NB-IoT chipset with a secure cloud functionality and the U-Blox M8 GNSS chip for adequate location accuracy for healthcare applications.

The increasing volume of consumer electronics equipped with navigation and positioning features is expected to create a considerable demand for low-power GNSS chips. Technologically advanced wearable devices are in the demand trend currently. At present, almost 50% of the global population has been using tech-advanced wearable devices, such as fitness bands and smartwatches. GNSS chips are majorly being integrated into these devices to give precise locations to the user even while running, walking, or driving, allowing them to stay connected with their close ones.

In August 2020, Sony Corporation announced the release of high-precision GNSS receiver LSIs for IoT and wearable devices. The new LSIs support the conventional L1 band reception and L5 band reception, which are currently being expanded across GNSS constellations, making them suitable for dual-band positioning.