三菱光芯片，扩产三倍

Core Viewpoint - Mitsubishi Electric plans to triple its production capacity for optical semiconductor devices used in data centers and communication base stations by fiscal year 2028, shifting investment from power devices for electric vehicles due to sluggish market growth [1][2]. Group 1: Company Strategy and Market Position - The company aims to enhance the production of optical devices that convert light signals to electrical signals, particularly at its Hyogo plant, with a revised plan to increase capacity by 150% by fiscal year 2026 [1]. - Mitsubishi Electric holds approximately 50% of the global market share in optical devices for data centers, which are increasingly in demand due to the growth of artificial intelligence applications [2]. - The semiconductor and device business segment reported a revenue decline of about 4% year-on-year to 140.6 billion yen (approximately $9.02 billion) for the period from April to September, while operating profit increased by 6% to 24.7 billion yen [2]. Group 2: Market Growth and Competitors - The global AI data center market is projected to grow from approximately $15 billion in 2024 to about $94 billion by 2032, indicating a significant demand for optical devices [1]. - Competitors like Sumitomo Electric Industries plan to double their optical device production capacity by fiscal year 2026 to meet the rising demand [2]. - Lumentum Japan aims to increase its optical device output to six times the 2024 level by 2027, utilizing larger diameter semiconductor wafers for improved production efficiency [3]. Group 3: Industry Trends and Future Outlook - The optical device market is expected to grow significantly, with estimates suggesting that the equipment market, including optical devices, will reach 10.73 trillion yen by 2030, approximately 3.5 times the size in 2024 [2]. - Japanese manufacturers dominate the optical device market, with the top three companies holding about 70% of the global market share, and they are at the forefront of high-performance device development [3]. - The commercialization of optical devices with data transmission speeds reaching 400Gbps to 800Gbps is anticipated as chip performance improves and data volumes increase [3].