IR LED Market Shipments to Cross 8 Billion Units by 2026

​According to the latest report ‘Infrared LED Market by Spectral Range (700nm-850nm, 850nm-940nm, 940nm-1020nm, 1020nm-1720nm), Application (Biometrics, Imaging, Lighting, Remote Sensing, Surveillance), End-use (Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, BFSI, Consumer Electronics, Education, Healthcare, Industrial, Retail), Regional Outlook, Price Trend, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2026’, by Global Market Insights, the market valuation of infrared LEDs will cross $1 billion by 2026.

The rising demand for a strong surveillance system worldwide is likely to boost IR LED market growth over the coming years. The integration of disruptive technologies with surveillance systems, such as smart sensors and IoT, to improve the performance will add an opportunity for market growth. These systems are experiencing high adoption from military applications, smart cities, industries, among others.

The 950nm-1020nm segment held a market share of over 5% in 2019 and is likely to grow at a CAGR of 5% over the forecast period. These IR LED devices with high wavelengths are used for light sources for remote controller, infrared communications, and photo couplers. This will increase their adoption in applications such as surveillance cameras, sensors for factory automation, infrared range finder for digital cameras, and smoke detectors.

The imaging application in the IR LED market is anticipated to register a CAGR of over 7% over the forecast period. The IR LED used in imaging applications helps to deliver high-quality images and enhanced image processing algorithms. The IR LED devices for image processing are used in a wide range of applications such as defense & security, medicine, industrial, and handheld mobile devices. This led to industry players innovating new products to gain high competitiveness in the market.

Europe infrared (IR) LED market accounted for a share of around 25% in 2019, demand is from major vehicle manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, and Bentley, in the region. The pandemic has affected the market demand to a great extent owing to lockdown restrictions laid by the government; manufacturing plants have been shut. In addition, there are considerable investments made by Osram in the region that are projected to contribute to market growth.

Some major findings of the IR LED market report include:

• The strong supply chain for the LED industry in Taiwan propels efficient operations, thereby augmenting market growth. Major players in the country including EVERLIGHT and Epistar have been at the forefront for making transition from LED to IR LED.
• The IR LEDs of wavelength 700nm-850nm are likely to witness the strongest growth over the forecast period owing to their increasing applications in medical treatment appliances and IR illumination in solid-state lasers.
• New York is one of the major cities with the most sophisticated surveillance systems in the U.S. and holds the fourth position in the list of the most deployed CCTV cameras globally.
• Favorable government regulations to mandate the use of IR lighting to ensure driver safety will add an opportunity for infrared (IR) LED market growth. This led to manufacturers investing in interior & exterior lighting applications, such as night vision lighting systems, head-up displays, and front lighting with active bending features, driving the demand for IR LEDs.
• Surveillance applications in the market are widely used in the military sector for night vision, providing the ability to see in complete darkness. They are integrated into security cameras for imaging operations during day and night. These infrared cameras detect and emit infrared light according to the ambient light available.