PCBs are at the Heart of Intelligent Systems
Virtually every electronic product is constructed with one or more Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), which act as the carrier of all electronic components, microchips, FPGAs, electromechanical parts and embedded software. PCBs support and electrically connect components using conductive tracks, pads and other features (essentially layers of copper sheets laminated together, with each layer having thousands of intricate copper traces). The design of PCBs for ever more complex devices requires sophisticated electronic design automation software.
PCB Design Software Market Segmentation & Size
Altium has an addressable market of around $500 million USD, currently focused on the mainstream market.
(Source: PCB Market Trends 2013 - Gary Smith EDA)
Simple designs carried out by multi-skilled engineers and hobbyists
Moderate to high design complexity, carried out by small teams of specialist designers
Large engineering teams designing complex products
Electronics puts the Internet into Things
Embedded intelligence drives systems in automotive electronics, industrial controls, building automation, medical electronics, communication systems, aerospace and many other sectors. It is expected that by 2020, more than 30 billion smart devices will be connected through the Internet (according to Gartner, November 2013), providing new functionality and services.
