Edge computing helps to decrease the load of cloud computing systems and enhance the data processing performance at the edge of the network. This new kind of architecture not only substantially increases the efficiency of computing and data applications, but could also enhance further implementation of emerging technologies like AI and 5G, making it a focus of discussion in 2017. TrendForce forecasts that the edge computing market will grow by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 30% from 2018 to 2022.
Fingerprint sensors will still be the first choice for most Andriod phones in 2018, since other biometric authentication methods available for Andriod phone makers cannot completely replace fingerprint identification yet, says TrendForce. Meanwhile, in-display fingerprint sensors are expected to make breakthrough this year, and vendors like Samsung, LG, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, Huawei are likely to embed this technology, bringing the global fingerprint sensor penetration rate in smartphones to 60%.
TrendForce reveals that global shipments of VR devices reached 3.7 million units in 2017. In terms of shipments ranking, Sony took first place, followed by Oculus Rift in second and HTC Vive in third. As for 2018, TrendForce estimates that the shipments will come to 5 million units.
According to the latest research by TrendForce, Chinese smartphone brands have continued the prior year’s strong growth momentum in 2017, bringing the global smartphone production to 1.46 billion units, an increase of 6.5% compared with 2016. For 2018, the growth will slow down, and smartphone makers will face heavier cost pressure as the prices of key smartphone components constantly rise. Therefore, TrendForce forecasts the global smartphone production at around 1.53 billion units, a 5% growth only.
According to 2018 Infrared Sensing Application Market Report by LEDinside, a division of TrendForce, many smartphone companies have been developing 3D sensing embedded devices since Apple launched iPhone X featuring 3D sensor. LEDinside anticipates that the value of global infrared laser projector market for mobile 3D sensing is estimated to reach US$246 million in 2017, and is forecast to grow to around US$1.953 billion in 2020.