Silver demand for printed and flexible electronics is forecast to increase 5%, from 48-million ounces in 2021 to 74-million ounces in 2030, consuming 615-million ounces for these applications during the ten-year timeframe, as this market continues to mature and expand.
Printed and flexible electronics are vital to the evolution of electronic technologies as they are mainstays in a wide range of products, including sensors for temperature, pressure, motion, lighting, moisture/relative humidity, radar, heart rate, and carbon monoxide. Other applications include their use in Internet-connected devices, medical and wearable electronics, displays for appliances, mobile phones, computers and tablets, medical devices, automotive, and consumer electronics.
According to a new Market Trend Report released on Wednesday by the Silver Institute, authored by the precious metals consultancy Precious Metals Commodity Management, silver will continue to play an essential role in this application.
The report states that the printed and flexible electronics market generates about $57-billion in revenue a year and that its revenue growth of 11.1% is projected through 2025. Conductive materials spend in this segment exceeds 5% of the total revenue, much higher than the other electronics markets.
The report examines precious metals use in various electronic markets. It also assesses current silver demand by market sector, the fundamentals of printed and flexible electronics, and concludes with a forecast for silver’s use in this application through 2030.