Mixed-Signal and RF Components: June–July 2025 Industry Report

The months of June and July 2025 have been eventful for the mixed-signal and RF semiconductor sector, marked by high-profile product launches, insightful industry forecasts, technological breakthroughs, and commentary from experts. Much of the excitement coalesced around the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2025) in mid-June, where companies showcased cutting-edge RF and mixed-signal solutions for next-generation communications, defense, automotive, IoT, and consumer applications. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the latest news and product announcements, examines market trends and forecasts for 2025 and beyond, highlights key technological advancements in design and fabrication, and discusses expert perspectives and geopolitical developments influencing the industry. The aim is to give a clear and detailed picture of how mixed-signal and RF component technologies are evolving in mid-2025.

Latest News and Product Announcements (June–July 2025)

A flurry of new component releases and demonstrations in June 2025 underlines the rapid innovation in RF and mixed-signal technologies. Notable announcements include:

• Mixed-Signal Devices MS4022 Frequency Synthesizer: On June 16, Mixed-Signal Devices introduced the MS4022 RF synthesizer, which generates frequencies from 675 MHz up to 22 GHz with exceptionally low phase jitter of 25 fs RMS mixed-signal.com. Touted as a new benchmark in RF signal generation, the MS4022 uses a digital synthesis architecture to achieve ultra-low phase noise and dual phase-coherent outputs, targeting demanding applications like advanced radar, 5G/6G wireless infrastructure, phased-array systems, and high-speed test equipment mixed-signal.com mixed-signal.com. The synthesizer simplifies precision RF design by supporting external reference locking (OCXO, GPSDO, etc.) and by integrating jitter filtering, enabling cleaner signals and tight synchronization in complex RF systems mixed-signal.com mixed-signal.com. (The MS4022 was demonstrated at IMS 2025 and is now sampling to customers mixed-signal.com mixed-signal.com.)
• High-Frequency Amplifiers and Modules: MACOM Technology Solutions showcased a broad portfolio of new RF front-end products at IMS 2025, spanning low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), power amplifiers (PAs), and integrated modules across a wide range of bands ir.macom.com. Live demonstrations featured components for electronic warfare (EW), radar, and satellite communications – including wideband LNAs and PAs in bands like X, C, Ku, Ka, Q, and even E-band (60–90 GHz) ir.macom.com. In technical sessions, MACOM reported breakthroughs in Gallium Nitride (GaN) and GaAs device technology, such as a new high-efficiency PA design for 6G and MIMO systems and the first Ka-band LNA implemented with enhancement-mode GaN HEMTs ir.macom.com ir.macom.com. A keynote talk underscored the push toward active devices operating up to 100 GHz, highlighting how next-generation amplifiers will support frequencies approaching the sub-THz range required for beyond-5G/6G applications ir.macom.com.
• Wi-Fi 7 Front-End Modules: As consumer wireless standards advance, component makers are delivering the RF parts to match. For example, Qorvo announced a high-performance front-end module (FEM) optimized for Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) in the 5–7 GHz range rf-design.co.za. The new FEM, model QM45508, integrates power amplifiers, filters, and switches in a compact package to meet the stringent linearity and output power needs of Wi-Fi 7’s high data rates and wide bandwidth channels rf-design.co.za rf-design.co.za. This module is designed for mobile and portable devices, enabling next-gen smartphones, tablets, and laptops to achieve reliable Wi-Fi 7 connectivity within tight space and power constraints. (According to Qorvo, the FEM delivers up to ~18 dBm output with the required low EVM for Wi-Fi 7 modulation formats, while maintaining a small footprint suitable for handsets rf-design.co.za.) Other RF front-end vendors are similarly expanding their portfolios with Wi-Fi 6E/7 and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) components, as the demand grows for multi-band wireless connectivity in consumer electronics. In fact, industry experts note that UWB technology is “rapidly reshaping the landscape of secure, reliable and convenient access control,” moving beyond smartphone tagging into smart home and automotive access systems rf-design.co.za – driving new product development in UWB transceivers and modules.
• Analog Devices System Demos: While not a specific product launch, Analog Devices (ADI) made news at IMS 2025 by showcasing an array of advanced mixed-signal solutions that blur the line between RF and digital. Under the theme “Bridging RF Signal Chains and Systems at the Intelligent Edge,” ADI demonstrated its latest high-performance RF, microwave, and data converter technologies everythingrf.com everythingrf.com. Noteworthy demos included a direct-RF millimeter-wave transceiver combined with a Xilinx Versal™ adaptive SoC (code-named Apollo MxFE®), achieving ultra-low-latency signal processing for real-time electronic warfare and radar applications everythingrf.com. ADI also showed a 4-channel 5 GS/s digitizer integrated into a 0.1–20 GHz tuner system for wideband tactical receivers everythingrf.com, and a multi-band phased-array radar using its AD9088 RF converter to enable fast frequency hopping with on-chip digital correction everythingrf.com. These demonstrations underline how mixed-signal integration – combining high-speed data converters, RF front-ends, FPGAs/SoCs, and power management – is enabling complex system-level solutions for aerospace, defense, and communications. (Visitors at IMS could also see ADI’s energy-efficient Radio Unit reference design for 5G/ORAN networks, which uses an AI-enabled Samana transceiver SoC to dynamically save power (up to 40% via micro-sleep modes) without sacrificing performance everythingrf.com. Such system-oriented showcases by ADI indicate where the industry is headed: more integrated, software-defined radio platforms at the edge.)
• Other Notable Announcements: Several other companies made news in this period. Startup Falcomm (an RFIC firm spun out of Georgia Tech) in partnership with GlobalFoundries revealed progress on its patented Dual-Drive™ power amplifier technology, which achieved a remarkable 50% power-added efficiency in a Ku-band (12.5–16 GHz) PA implemented on a CMOS process gf.com gf.com. Falcomm also launched new mmWave PAs for 28 GHz and 39 GHz (5G FR2 bands) built on GF’s 45 nm RF-SOI platform to improve efficiency and linearity in 5G base stations and phased arrays gf.com. Meanwhile, pSemi (Murata) and Tower Semiconductor announced a jointly-developed RF switch that set a “record-breaking” bandwidth, operating from DC to 110 GHz with under 2 dB insertion loss towersemi.com. This wideband single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch leverages Phase Change Material (PCM) technology integrated with CMOS drivers on a silicon RF-SOI process towersemi.com. The result is a monolithic switch device capable of handling 30 dBm power with 15–20 dB better linearity than typical CMOS switches – an innovation that could simplify front-end design for applications from 5G and 6G radios to satcom and mmWave test systems towersemi.com. Lastly, in the EDA realm, Keysight Technologies and Synopsys teamed up to introduce an AI-driven RFIC design flow that automates the migration of RF circuit designs from TSMC’s 6 nm RF process to its 4 nm node keysight.com keysight.com. This solution, unveiled June 5, aims to significantly speed up the re-design of analog/RF IP for advanced semiconductor nodes by using AI to adjust layouts and passive components to the new process rules keysight.com keysight.com – a critical capability as RF mixed-signal chips move into leading-edge process technologies.

Market Trends and Industry Forecasts

Even as new products hit the market, industry analysts and executives are carefully watching demand trends in 2025. The overall semiconductor outlook for 2025 is bullish – global chip sales are expected to reach record highs – but growth is heavily driven by digital and AI-focused sectors deloitte.com. The analog and RF component segment, by contrast, is entering a more moderate growth phase after the explosive demand of the past two years.

Recent market research indicates that the global analog semiconductor market will continue to expand steadily in the coming years. One forecast pegs the analog IC market at around $98–100 billion in 2025, on track to reach ~$136 billion by 2032 (approximately 4.5% CAGR from 2025 onward) consegicbusinessintelligence.com. Likewise, the RF semiconductor sub-sector (which includes RF front-end chips and wireless connectivity ICs) is projected at roughly $25–26 billion in 2025, up from ~$17.4 billion in 2020 marketsandmarkets.com fortunebusinessinsights.com. This represents a healthy annual growth rate in the high single digits, reflecting sustained demand for RF components in smartphones, base stations, Wi-Fi access points, IoT devices, and more. Key end-markets fueling analog/RF growth include communications infrastructure, automotive electronics, industrial automation, and power management for electrification.

However, industry surveys suggest that expectations for analog/RF sales in 2025 are a bit more tempered compared to last year’s optimism. According to KPMG’s latest global semiconductor outlook, executives noted a “decline in growth opportunity” for analog, RF, and mixed-signal chips relative to a year ago, citing softer demand in some automotive and industrial segments kpmg.com. These sectors had driven a surge in analog orders during the post-pandemic chip shortage, but as supply constraints ease and those customers work through inventory, demand is normalizing. Analog and power chip suppliers that serve automotive (for example, makers of ADAS sensors, EV power regulators, etc.) have seen some order volatility in 2024 due to OEM production fluctuations. Nonetheless, analog/RF devices remain “foundational to a variety of applications” across telecom, auto, and industrial systems kpmg.com – and most industry players still anticipate growth, just not as dramatically as during the recent boom.

In fact, mid-2025 earnings reports from major analog vendors show signs of stabilization and renewed growth. Analog Devices (ADI) and Texas Instruments (TI), two bellwethers of the analog IC industry, both exceeded revenue expectations in the first half of 2025 as the broader semiconductor downturn bottomed out reuters.com. ADI’s CEO noted that inventory levels in the channel had been drawn down significantly in late 2024, and now customers are returning to more typical order patterns reuters.com. “We are seeing a restocking,” one analyst said, observing that analog chip demand is rebounding after several quarters of digestion reuters.com. ADI projected an upbeat sales outlook for the upcoming quarter (Q3 2025), with particularly strong traction in industrial and communications segments reuters.com.

The automotive market, which had been a red-hot driver for analog, presents a mixed picture. ADI reported a 24% jump in automotive-related sales in Q2 (Feb–Apr 2025) reuters.com, but management attributed part of this to customers pulling in orders early (“pull-ins”) due to tariff concerns reuters.com reuters.com. With the U.S. implementing new trade policies, some auto suppliers accelerated purchases of components (possibly to get ahead of potential import tariffs on electronics). This boosted short-term automotive demand, but it also introduced uncertainty – investors were “spooked” to learn that high-single-digit percentages of auto sales may have been one-time pull-ins reuters.com. Analysts caution that if a chunk of the H1 2025 automotive orders were tariff-driven, we could see a modest dip later as that effect unwinds reuters.com. Nonetheless, underlying trends like the growth of ADAS, electrification, and vehicle connectivity continue to expand the content of analog and RF chips in cars. (Notably, another analog giant, Infineon, recently highlighted that it has shipped 100+ million 77 GHz radar chips to the auto market and is investing in next-gen radar and power semiconductor R&D eetimes.com.)

Beyond this year, most analysts expect the analog/mixed-signal sector to resume a stable growth trajectory. Market drivers such as 5G/6G rollouts, cloud data center expansion (which needs power management and high-speed converters), IoT proliferation, and renewable energy investments all bode well for analog and RF demand. A report by Consegic Intelligence forecasts the analog IC market to grow from ~$96 billion in 2024 to ~$136 billion by 2032 consegicbusinessintelligence.com, with automotive electronics cited as a continuing growth engine (thanks to EVs and advanced safety systems) consegicbusinessintelligence.com. Meanwhile, Fortune Business Insights projects the RF chip market to roughly double by 2032 fortunebusinessinsights.com, driven by the adoption of 5G/6G smartphones, smart connected devices, and wireless networking equipment worldwide. Overall, while 2025 is a year of normalization for analog/RF firms after recent volatility, the long-term demand for these components is firmly supported by the “electronification” of everything from cars to factories to homes.

Technological Advancements and Breakthroughs

The mid-2025 period has also seen significant advances in mixed-signal and RF technology, from design methodology to component performance records. A few key technical developments illustrate how engineers are pushing the boundaries in this field:

• AI-Powered Design Automation: One of the more striking trends is the infusion of AI into analog/RF EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tools. On June 5, Keysight and Synopsys unveiled a new AI-driven flow to automate RF circuit redesign for advanced semiconductor nodes keysight.com. By leveraging Synopsys’s analog design migration AI and Keysight’s electromagnetic simulation, this workflow can take an RFIC originally designed on TSMC’s N6RF+ (6 nm) process and rapidly adapt it for TSMC’s N4P (4 nm) node keysight.com keysight.com. This is a big deal because moving analog/RF blocks to a new process generation is traditionally a painstaking, manual task. “Analog design migration is a challenging and time-intensive process requiring significant trial and error,” explained Synopsys executive Sanjay Bali, emphasizing the productivity boost expected from these AI-assisted tools keysight.com. Essentially, AI algorithms can adjust device geometries, re-tune passives like inductors, and optimize layouts to meet the new process rules, while maintaining circuit performance keysight.com keysight.com. This advancement not only cuts design time, but also enables analog/mixed-signal IP to keep pace with digital in moving to cutting-edge nodes – a trend we see as 5G transceivers and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth radios begin migrating into 7 nm and 5 nm system-on-chip integrations. The emphasis on AI in chip design was echoed at the DAC 2025 conference in late June, where experts predicted that within a year “we’ll see more trust in AI for chip design, with increased AI usage by the design community” eetimes.com. Cadence’s head of AI R&D even noted that the industry’s focus is shifting to Level 3 autonomy in EDA (AI systems that can reason and make design decisions with minimal human input), including conversational interfaces for designers eetimes.com. All of this points to a future where the tedious aspects of analog/RF design – layout migration, tuning, verification – are increasingly handled by AI “assistants,” freeing engineers to focus on higher-level innovation.
• Record-Setting RF Components: Hardware breakthroughs are occurring across the frequency spectrum. A prime example is the 0–110 GHz RF switch unveiled via a joint paper by Tower Semiconductor and pSemi (Murata) at IMS 2025. By using a proprietary Phase Change Material (PCM) switching element integrated with CMOS control circuitry, the team demonstrated a wideband SPDT switch covering DC through 110 GHz with <2 dB insertion loss towersemi.com – essentially an ultra-broadband, low-loss RF relay on a chip. Equally impressive, the device can handle up to 30 dBm of power and exhibits 15–20 dB better linearity than existing RF-SOI CMOS switches towersemi.com. This means it can transmit stronger signals with less distortion, a crucial benefit for high-frequency systems like mmWave 5G/6G radios, which require many switchable paths for beamforming and need to preserve signal integrity. Moreover, the switch includes integrated drivers with a standard MIPI RFFE digital interface towersemi.com, making it easy to drop into advanced RF front-end architectures. This development showcases how new materials (like phase-change alloys) and process integration can vastly improve RF component performance, potentially opening the door to simpler, more broadband front-end designs.
• High-Efficiency RF Power Amplifiers: Efficiency is a perennial challenge, especially at higher frequencies. One notable breakthrough in this area comes from Falcomm (with GlobalFoundries), which has been pioneering a “Dual-Drive” PA architecture. In mid-2025 Falcomm reported achieving 50% PAE (power-added efficiency) in a Ku-band (13 GHz) power amplifier built on GF’s 130 nm CMOS process gf.com gf.com. This is remarkably high efficiency for a silicon-based PA at that frequency. The Dual-Drive design essentially uses two drive signals to modulate the PA in a way that improves linearity and efficiency simultaneously. What’s exciting is that the concept is process-agnostic: they’ve now implemented it in GF’s 45RFSOI (for mmWave) and are porting it to GF’s new 130 nm RF GaN process to push GaN PA efficiency to new heights gf.com gf.com. By combining circuit ingenuity with advanced semiconductor processes (like high-density RF SOI and GaN-on-Si), these PAs aim to deliver more RF power per watt of DC input – critical for systems like 5G massive MIMO base stations, phased-array radars, and even handset transmitters where battery life is at a premium.
• Direct-to-Digital and Software-Defined Systems: Another area of advancement is in mixed-signal conversion and system architecture. Companies like ADI are pushing direct RF sampling and software-defined radio techniques to new levels. For instance, ADI’s recently showcased Apollo MxFE® architecture combines multi-GSPS RF ADCs/DACs with high-performance FPGAs so that systems can digitize or synthesize RF signals directly at microwave frequencies (up to X-band) without intermediate conversion stages everythingrf.com everythingrf.com. In one demo, ADI showed a multi-band phased-array radar platform where the transceiver chip (AD9088) supports fast frequency hopping across S and X bands with on-chip digital correction, essentially implementing a agile radar entirely in the electrical domain everythingrf.com. They also demonstrated phase synchronization of multiple chips at sampling rates of 12.8 GS/s, highlighting the ability to maintain phase coherence across distributed apertures for large antenna arrays everythingrf.com. These achievements in clocking and synchronization (enabling sub-ps alignment across systems) are crucial for coherent MIMO, distributed radar, and sensor fusion applications. On the instrumentation side, ADI’s 10 GS/s data converters are allowing real-time capture and analysis of ultra-wideband signals (such as in time-of-flight mass spectrometers and high-energy physics experiments) that previously were infeasible to digitize directly everythingrf.com. The overarching trend is that the analog/digital boundary is moving ever higher in frequency – with high-speed converters, advanced PLLs, and DSP enabling more of the RF chain to be reconfigurable by software. This yields tremendous flexibility (one hardware platform can serve multiple bands and standards) and rapid upgradeability, which customers in defense, communications, and instrumentation highly value.
• Process and Packaging Innovations: At the foundry level, there have been notable innovations in processes tailored for analog/RF. GlobalFoundries, for example, has iterated on its 22FDX+ (22 nm FD-SOI) platform specifically to optimize RF performance and integration. The collaboration with indie Semiconductor to produce 77 GHz and even 120 GHz automotive radar SoCs on 22FDX is a prime example microwavejournal.com microwavejournal.com. Using a planar FD-SOI process, they can achieve FinFET-like performance (for digital and mixed-signal blocks) while also benefiting from SOI’s low-parasitic, high-Q analog characteristics microwavejournal.com. Indie’s 77 GHz radar chip is already in advanced design-ins with Tier-1 automotive suppliers, and its 120 GHz in-cabin radar (for passenger monitoring and gesture detection) is sampling as of mid-2025 microwavejournal.com microwavejournal.com. Achieving a fully integrated single-chip radar (including RF, analog, digital signal processing, and even antenna-in-package at 120 GHz) is quite an engineering feat, made possible by modern RF processes and innovative packaging. It points to a future where even millimeter-wave sensors become as commoditized and integrated as today’s Bluetooth or GPS radios. Additionally, in packaging, we’re seeing more use of integrated RF modules – such as Antenna-in-Package (AiP) techniques for mmWave, and multi-chip modules combining GaN power amplifiers with CMOS controllers, etc. These approaches help bridge the gap between III-V devices (great for high power/high frequency) and silicon ICs (great for smarts and control), yielding composite solutions like the switched filter banks and TR modules shown by companies like Qorvo and MACOM.

In summary, the technological state-of-the-art in mid-2025 shows progress on all fronts: smarter design tools (AI in EDA), better materials and devices (PCM switches, GaN & RF-SOI PAs), faster and more flexible signal conversion (direct RF digitization), and creative integration (advanced processes and packaging). These innovations are collectively enabling the next wave of applications across the communications, automotive, aerospace, IoT, and consumer domains.

Sector Highlights and Applications

The impact of mixed-signal and RF advances can be seen across a variety of sectors. Below, we examine how recent developments are playing out in communications, automotive, aerospace/defense, and IoT/consumer electronics:

Communications & Wireless

The communications sector – encompassing mobile networks, broadband wireless, and satellite links – is a primary driver of RF technology progress. In 2025, 5G deployment is still in full swing globally, while forward-looking research on 6G is gaining momentum. The industry is gradually transitioning from 5G “Phase 2” (Release 18/19, sometimes branded 5G-Advanced) towards defining 6G capabilities around 2030. This translates into demand for RF components operating at higher frequencies (mmWave and sub-THz), with greater bandwidth and efficiency.

At IMS 2025, a clear focus was on enabling the next generation of wireless infrastructure. For example, multiple exhibitors demonstrated solutions for 6G prototype systems – including over-the-air test setups for frequencies above 100 GHz. Analog Devices showcased a complete FR3 6G OTA test system for sub-THz channels, which can ensure high error-vector-magnitude (EVM) performance even at these extreme frequencies everythingrf.com. On the network side, companies are emphasizing energy efficiency and flexibility. ADI’s reference design for ORAN (Open RAN) radio units, mentioned earlier, uses intelligent power-saving modes to cut base station power consumption significantly everythingrf.com. This aligns with carriers’ goals to reduce the power draw of 5G networks and make future 6G networks more sustainable.

Meanwhile, wireless broadband in consumer and enterprise is advancing through new Wi-Fi standards. With Wi-Fi 6/6E now common, the industry is gearing up for Wi-Fi 7, which utilizes 320 MHz-wide channels and 4K-QAM modulation for multi-gigabit throughput. The Qorvo Wi-Fi 7 FEM mentioned earlier is one product addressing this need rf-design.co.za. By integrating PAs, LNAs, switches, and filters optimized for 5–7 GHz, such modules allow routers, smartphones, and laptops to support the new 6 GHz UNII bands with minimal design complexity. As an example, Qorvo’s FEM can deliver ~+17 dBm linear output power for the 6 GHz band with the required -43 dB EVM, enabling high data-rate links in Wi-Fi 7 devices rf-design.co.za. Alongside Wi-Fi, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio is emerging in consumer electronics: UWB chipsets (from NXP, Qorvo, Apple, etc.) are now being used for precise ranging in applications like digital car keys and item trackers. The industry expects UWB to also find uses in secure access control and payments. A recent technical article highlighted that UWB is gaining momentum in residential and enterprise settings for its blend of accuracy and security rf-design.co.za, which likely means more RF design activity around UWB antennas, transceivers, and front-end filters in the near future.

Another communications frontier is the integration of terrestrial and satellite networks. In June, ADI’s IMS workshop on “Commercial Cellular to Space” underscored the interest in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) – essentially connecting smartphones directly to satellites for coverage everywhere everythingrf.com. This requires RF hardware (like beamforming ICs) that can operate in satellite bands and handle Doppler shifts, while still being low-power and small enough for handheld devices. ADI has been developing LEO satellite beamformer chipsets exactly for this purpose everythingrf.com. Similarly, we see new RF front-end designs that can serve both cellular and satcom frequencies. For instance, MACOM’s demonstration of an integrated 2–18 GHz transmit/receive module with a switched filter bank ir.macom.com suggests an approach to cover numerous bands with one system, useful for defense communications but also indicative of how commercial systems might strive for multi-band agility.

In summary, communications applications are pushing RF technology toward: higher frequencies (mmWave and beyond), broader bandwidths, smarter and more power-efficient radios, and multi-network convergence (cellular + Wi-Fi + satellite). The components launched and demonstrated in mid-2025 – from 110 GHz switches towersemi.com to efficient mmWave PAs gf.com to Wi-Fi 7 FEMs rf-design.co.za – all reflect these priorities.

Automotive & Transportation

The automotive sector has become one of the most vibrant areas for analog and RF development, as vehicles rapidly incorporate more electronic systems for safety, autonomy, and connectivity. A major example is automotive radar. Modern cars often have 3–5 radar sensors today (for forward collision warning, blind-spot detection, parking assist, etc.), and this number could double in the next generation of semi-autonomous vehicles microwavejournal.com. Consequently, chipmakers are racing to provide the radar transceivers and processing SoCs to meet this demand.

As noted earlier, indie Semiconductor’s collaboration with GlobalFoundries is delivering 77 GHz and 120 GHz radar SoCs on a 22 nm FD-SOI process microwavejournal.com microwavejournal.com. The 77 GHz devices serve long-range radar (up to ~250 m) for functions like adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking, while the new 120 GHz devices are aimed at in-cabin sensing – an emerging application to detect occupant presence, monitor driver alertness, or even sense vital signs (heartbeat, breathing) for health and safety microwavejournal.com microwavejournal.com. These higher-frequency in-cabin radars offer finer resolution at short range (a few meters) and can be made very compact. Indie’s 120 GHz chip notably supports antenna-in-package integration and is already sampling to customers microwavejournal.com, indicating that car makers are prototyping features like child-presence detection for hot car alerts, etc. The key challenges for such radar chips – ensuring high performance (sensitivity, resolution) while keeping power, cost, and size low – are being addressed through technology like GF’s 22FDX (which provides RF performance with integrated digital logic) and clever integration of analog, digital, RF, and power management on one die microwavejournal.com. The results, as indie claims, are “class-leading performance while driving a step change in solution cost and footprint,” making advanced radar more affordable for mass-market cars microwavejournal.com.

Beyond radar, automotive connectivity is another focus. Vehicles are now hubs of multiple wireless technologies: cellular (telemetry and C-V2X), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (for infotainment and mobile device integration), GNSS (positioning), UWB (for secure keyless entry), and more. This translates to a complex RF environment in every car. Manufacturers are demanding highly integrated RF modules to simplify assembly and ensure reliability. For instance, some suppliers offer automotive connectivity modules that combine LTE/5G, GNSS, and Wi-Fi antennas with the needed RF front-ends and filtering in one package. While no specific product release in June–July stands out here, the trend is visible in the market. Also, the first 5G V2X (vehicle-to-everything) deployments are starting, which require C-V2X radio units operating in the 5.9 GHz band for car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communications (for safety messages, traffic updates, etc.). Analog/RF designers are involved in ensuring these C-V2X transceivers meet strict automotive reliability and temperature specs. Companies like Qualcomm, NXP, and TI have been active in this area, integrating V2X radios into their automotive telematics chipsets.

Another critical analog domain is power management and electrification. As electric vehicle (EV) sales grow, so does the need for analog power electronics: high-voltage battery management ICs, inverter gate drivers, on-board charger controllers, etc. While these may not be RF, they are mixed-signal components crucial to the automotive industry’s shift to electrification. Many analog IC makers reported strong demand from EV programs. For example, analog market analyses identify automotive electrification and ADAS as key drivers – “advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), electric vehicle powertrains, and in-vehicle infotainment systems” are specifically noted as spurring growth in analog semiconductor sales consegicbusinessintelligence.com.

In summary, the automotive sector’s impact on mixed-signal/RF tech is seen in the proliferation of 77 GHz radar chips, the emergence of 120 GHz and UWB in-cabin sensors, robust multi-radio connectivity modules, and high-performance power management ICs for EVs. Mid-2025 developments, such as the sampling of 120 GHz radar SoCs microwavejournal.com and the ongoing expansion of radar in new cars (often mandated by safety regulations), reinforce that vehicles will only get “smarter” and more connected – relying on a host of analog and RF components under the hood.

Aerospace & Defense

Aerospace and defense applications have long been at the forefront of high-performance RF and mixed-signal technology, and that continues in 2025. Many of the breakthroughs discussed (e.g. ultra-wideband switches, high-power GaN amplifiers, direct RF digitizers) have immediate relevance in military radar, electronic warfare (EW), communications, and space systems.

One concrete example from June 2025 is the U.S. Navy’s contract award to BAE Systems for upgrading its fleet’s IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) transponders. On June 4, BAE announced a $30 million deal to refresh the AN/APX-123A(V) Common Transponder (CXP) units used across Navy aircraft, ships, and unmanned vehicles euro-sd.com. These IFF transponders are critical RF systems that quickly identify friendly forces via encrypted challenge-response over the air, helping prevent “friendly fire” incidents. The modernization will provide a form-fit-function replacement for legacy transponders, addressing component obsolescence and adding processing capacity for new features euro-sd.com. Notably, the upgraded design uses an open-systems architecture with a high-density FPGA, allowing future improvements via software updates rather than hardware changes euro-sd.com euro-sd.com. It will be certified for the latest Mode 5 IFF standard (which includes advanced encryption and secure GPS position reporting) and adds additional receiver channels to passively gather situational data (Mode S and ADS-B In) euro-sd.com. In effect, the new transponders become multi-function RF nodes – simultaneously responding to interrogations and improving situational awareness by listening to friendly signals. This example highlights how defense systems are evolving: requiring secure, software-defined radios with the flexibility to upgrade, and the integration of multiple RF functions (transponding, surveillance, secure comms) into one box. Mixed-signal tech (high-speed A/D, D/A, FPGAs) is what makes that possible in a compact, retrofittable unit.

On the radar and EW front, defense customers are pushing for higher frequencies, wider bandwidths, and multi-beam agility. Phased-array radars used in military aircraft and ships are moving to AESA (active electronically scanned array) technology that involves hundreds or thousands of T/R modules. Analog Devices’ demonstrations at IMS included a multi-band phased-array radar platform covering S and X bands with fast frequency hopping and on-chip digital calibration everythingrf.com, which is exactly the kind of capability needed for advanced military radars (to resist jamming and track a variety of targets). They also showed multi-chip synchronization for distributed arrays everythingrf.com – pertinent to concepts like cooperative radar between networked platforms.

In electronic warfare, the emphasis is on low-latency, high instantaneous bandwidth receivers and agile transmitters to sense and combat a broad range of signals. ADI’s Apollo MxFE with direct sampling A/D and D/A, paired with an FPGA (Versal), is explicitly designed for such real-time EW operations, delivering near microsecond reaction times and very wide spectrum coverage everythingrf.com. The fact that these can be deployed at the edge (in a pod or on a drone) shows how far integrated mixed-signal tech has come – what once required racks of receivers and analog filters can now be done with a few chips on a board, thanks to giga-sample converters and fast DSP.

Space systems are another area: satellite communications and sensing are pushing higher throughputs and more on-board processing. The mention that BAE is using their trusted fabs in the US for Falcomm’s products and others gf.com ties into the geopolitical aspect (next section), but technically, space-grade RFICs (whether for phased-array satcom or for remote sensing) often leverage GaN, GaAs, or SiGe processes for reliability and radiation tolerance. In June 2025, for instance, there was news of BAE also receiving a Space Force contract to develop next-gen space communication waveforms (FORGE program) executivebiz.com, which undoubtedly will involve designing resilient mixed-signal processors and agile RF transceivers that can handle on-orbit reconfiguration and jam-resistant links.

Overall, aerospace and defense continue to demand the bleeding edge from RF/mixed-signal components: the widest bandwidth, lowest noise, highest power, and most secure communications. The developments in this timeframe – be it the 110 GHz switch for potentially military EW apps towersemi.com, or the GaN-based Ka-band LNAs enabling higher-frequency surveillance receivers ir.macom.com – all feed into giving armed forces and aerospace platforms improved capabilities. The sector is also a significant beneficiary of the shift to open architectures and modular designs, as evidenced by the IFF upgrade using open FPGA-based designs euro-sd.com. This trend allows faster tech insertion, meaning advances from the commercial world (like COTS FPGAs or ADCs) can be adapted into defense systems more readily.

IoT & Consumer Electronics

The IoT (Internet of Things) and consumer electronics arena is incredibly broad, covering everything from smart home gadgets and wearables to industrial sensors and appliances. The common thread is the need for cheap, low-power, and often wireless-connected devices – which in turn relies on analog sensors, microcontrollers with mixed-signal interfaces, and RF transceivers.

A key trend is simply the growing number of connected devices. Industry research by IoT Analytics estimated that there were about 16.6 billion active IoT devices at the end of 2023, and this is expected to reach 18.8 billion by the end of 2024 (≈13% growth) iot-analytics.com. By 2025, the figure will likely exceed 20 billion connected IoT devices globally. This steady growth is driving continuous demand for connectivity chips (Bluetooth, Zigbee, LoRa, NB-IoT, Wi-Fi modules) and analog interfaces (sensors and signal-conditioning ICs). In June 2025, for example, Digi International announced a new XBee module for LoRaWAN networks, reflecting the ongoing rollout of LPWAN (low-power wide-area) technologies for industrial and smart city IoT applications digi.com. Each of those billions of IoT nodes typically contains multiple analog/mixed-signal components: an ADC to read sensors, a power management unit to prolong battery life, a radio front-end, etc. The cumulative demand for those “invisible” chips is enormous.

One interesting development in consumer electronics is the progress in sensor technology and human-machine interfaces. Qorvo (which acquired MEMS sensor company 7Hugs Labs) published insights on new MEMS-based ultrasound and force sensors for touchless gesture control and pressure sensing in devices rf-design.co.za. As an example, solid-state force sensors can be placed under device housings to detect user squeezes or taps without any mechanical buttons, enabling sleek waterproof designs. These sensors are analog in nature, requiring precision read-out circuits and often wireless connectivity to feed data to the cloud or a phone. The RF Design news feed in late June highlighted how integrated solutions are enabling such novel interfaces – like using UWB for spatial awareness in smart home devices (for instance, to turn on lights when you enter a room with a UWB-equipped phone) rf-design.co.za. All these applications rely on a backbone of mixed-signal electronics (RF transceivers, microcontrollers, sensor analog front-ends).

In the personal device category, smartphones remain a concentration of cutting-edge mixed-signal/RF tech. A modern 5G smartphone contains dozens of RF chips (PAs, LNAs, switches, filters, GPS, Wi-Fi, UWB, NFC, etc.), and each generation adds more. The transition to Wi-Fi 7 and UWB mentioned earlier is largely driven by smartphone adoption. Additionally, the push toward higher audio and display fidelity in consumer devices keeps analog designers busy (think high-resolution DACs for audio, PMICs for OLED displays, etc.), though these tend to be incremental improvements. One notable area is fast charging and USB Power Delivery – newer laptops and phones use 28 V or higher USB-C charging, requiring advanced battery charger ICs and dc-dc converters (some news from late June was a new 48 V USB PD controller by Hynetek eetimes.com, indicative of this trend in power electronics).

Lastly, wearables and healthtech gadgets are bringing interesting mixed-signal challenges. Devices like smartwatches and fitness bands increasingly incorporate bio-sensors (ECG, PPG, bio-impedance) that need low-noise analog front-ends and efficient radios to send data. The IoT device count includes many of these wearables. While not specifically in June news, it’s worth noting that the FDA approvals of various health-related wearables in 2025 are driving demand for precision analog chips (for example, low-power ADCs that can measure micro-volt biological signals).

In summary, IoT and consumer markets demand miniaturized, power-efficient, and cost-effective mixed-signal and RF components. The mid-2025 outlook shows continuous, if not spectacular, growth in these segments. Over half of enterprises plan to increase IoT spending in 2024/25 despite economic headwinds iot-analytics.com, which bodes well for ongoing innovation. The edge computing trend – processing data on IoT devices themselves – is also creating opportunities for analog: more devices will need efficient power management and high-performance analog-to-digital conversion at the edge. As one market intelligence report noted, the adoption of edge computing across industries “is driving demand for reliable and efficient analog solutions” to perform real-time data acquisition and low-latency communication on the edge nodes consegicbusinessintelligence.com consegicbusinessintelligence.com. This means the humble analog IC, from sensor interface to RF transceiver, is as crucial as ever in enabling the next wave of smart, connected products for consumers and industry alike.

Regulatory and Geopolitical Developments

The mixed-signal and RF component industry does not operate in a vacuum; it is influenced by international trade policies, government regulations, and geopolitical events. In June–July 2025, there have been notable shifts on this front, particularly regarding U.S.–China tech trade relations and governmental support for the semiconductor supply chain.

Perhaps the most significant news is a slight easing of the U.S.–China tech trade war tensions. On July 3, Reuters reported that the United States lifted certain export restrictions for China in light of a sustained truce in the trade conflict reuters.com. Specifically, U.S. regulators allowed American EDA software companies – Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens EDA – to “restore access to their software and technology for customers in China” reuters.com. These EDA tools are essential for chip design, including analog/RF design, so this move helps Chinese semiconductor firms regain the ability to use the latest design software (which had been curtailed as part of export controls). The U.S. also removed licensing requirements on exports of ethane (a key gas feedstock for plastics and chemicals used in chip fabrication) to China reuters.com. These actions were matched by concessions from Beijing, such as relaxing curbs on rare earth exports reuters.com. Together, they signal a modest de-escalation: both sides are stepping back from aggressive tit-for-tat restrictions, at least for now. For the RF/mixed-signal industry, this means Chinese chip designers can again access top-tier EDA tools to develop competitive analog and RF chips, and American tool providers recover an important market. It’s worth noting that advanced EDA for analog (such as Cadence’s Virtuoso or Keysight’s RFPro) is a linchpin for designing high-performance RFICs – denying these to Chinese firms could have significantly hampered their progress. With restrictions lifted, we may see Chinese analog/RF startups accelerating their development again, contributing to a more level global playing field (albeit with ongoing supervision and potential re-imposition of controls if the truce falters).

That said, many export controls remain in place, especially for cutting-edge digital and AI chips. But interestingly, analog/RF components have also been on the radar of export control regimes. Last year, the U.S. added certain high-end ADC/DAC converters (with sample rates and resolution combinations deemed useful for electronic warfare) to its export control list, aiming to prevent China from obtaining the best oscilloscope ADCs or radar digitizers. There hasn’t been a public update on that in June–July 2025, but it underscores how even mixed-signal tech is viewed through a national security lens.

Geopolitically, there’s continuing talk of “silicon nationalism” – countries striving for self-sufficiency in semiconductors. This is driving government investments in local fabs and design capabilities for analog/RF as well. For instance, India’s Ministry of Defence earlier in 2025 announced funding for indigenous development of RF seekers and radars (which involves analog chip design). The EU’s Chips Act is also channeling funding into specialty chip production (e.g., Germany’s Infineon is expanding capacity for power and analog chips, France’s Soitec is investing in SOI wafers crucial for RF). The U.S. CHIPS Act has prompted proposals for new fabs that include analog specialties – GlobalFoundries, for example, received U.S. federal funds to boost its capacity in RF-SOI and silicon photonics in New York. While these weren’t specific June announcements, the general policy environment is one of heavy support for semiconductors at large.

One tangible benefit of government support can be seen in the startup ecosystem. In early 2025, EnCharge AI – a startup building analog in-memory compute chips for AI – raised over $100 million in a Series B round techcrunch.com techcrunch.com. The U.S. government (via In-Q-Tel and DARPA grants) has backed companies like EnCharge, viewing their technology as strategically important: EnCharge’s analog AI accelerators promise orders-of-magnitude efficiency gains for AI processing techcrunch.com. The TechCrunch report on this funding noted that the U.S. identified hardware (chips) and infrastructure as key areas for domestic innovation, and startups delivering new approaches – such as analog computing for AI – “could become a key part of that strategy” techcrunch.com. This reflects a broader theme: governments are not just focusing on leading-edge digital logic, but also on analog/mixed-signal innovations (like analog AI chips, or high-performance RF for defense). The result is more funding and potentially faster development cycles for those working on novel mixed-signal technologies.

Another regulatory aspect is spectrum allocation and standards. Mid-2025 saw further work in international bodies (3GPP, IEEE) on frameworks for 6G frequencies and ultra-wideband uses. For example, 3GPP Release 20 was completed (as per a Qualcomm brief on June 18) which finalizes many 5G-Advanced features qualcomm.com. This sets the stage for initial 6G research topics (terahertz bands, AI-native air interfaces, etc.), which regulators like the FCC and CEPT are starting to study in terms of spectrum allocation. Additionally, some regulators extended deadlines or mandates for 5G coverage – the U.S. FCC in late June granted extensions to Dish Network for its 5G build-out edn.com, which indirectly affects demand for RF infrastructure gear.

Finally, in the realm of trade and tariffs (which had caused the automotive chip “pull-in” we discussed reuters.com), there have been ongoing negotiations. The fact that PC and consumer electronics makers were rushing shipments ahead of anticipated tariffs reuters.com indicates a concern that tariffs on Chinese-made electronics could still come into force. However, as of early July, no new broad tariffs on consumer tech have been confirmed – it appears companies were acting on caution. The continuation of the U.S.–China trade truce suggests that sweeping new tariffs might be avoided, which would be a relief to electronics supply chains. If tensions were to rise again, analog/RF components could become targets (either for export bans or tariff imposition), given their importance in defense and communications.

In conclusion, the regulatory/geopolitical scene in mid-2025 offers a bit of good news: a slight thaw in U.S.–China tech hostilities, meaning freer flow of certain tools and materials reuters.com. But the broader push for tech self-reliance keeps governments deeply involved in the semiconductor sector. For industry players, this means navigating export compliance carefully (especially for high-performance RF or ADC products) and capitalizing on incentives for onshore manufacturing and R&D. The intersection of policy and technology is more pronounced than ever for mixed-signal/RF firms – from security classifications on chips to funding opportunities – and staying attuned to these developments is now as important as tracking market trends.

Conclusion and Outlook

The June–July 2025 period has underscored both the vitality and the complexity of the mixed-signal and RF component landscape. On one hand, we see a torrent of innovation: companies are launching frequency synthesizers that shatter performance records for phase noise mixed-signal.com, amplifiers that stretch into the mmWave and sub-THz realms ir.macom.com, and design tools imbued with AI to streamline analog development keysight.com. These advances are enabling new possibilities – from 6G communication experiments to ever-smarter autonomous vehicles and connected devices – and they highlight the central role of analog and RF tech in the future of electronics. On the other hand, the industry faces nuanced market dynamics and external influences. Growth is robust but not uniform, with some sectors cooling off after cyclical highs even as others (like IoT and automotive) continue to expand kpmg.com iot-analytics.com. Supply chain and geopolitical considerations add further layers of challenge, necessitating agility and perhaps a dose of caution among industry stakeholders.

Looking ahead to the remainder of 2025 and beyond, several themes are likely to shape the mixed-signal/RF domain:

• Convergence of Digital and Analog: The line between what is “analog” and “digital” will keep blurring. As high-speed data converters and RF-sampling techniques improve, more radio and sensor functionalities will be software-defined. This creates opportunities for companies that can master both domains – expect to see more partnerships like analog chip makers working with FPGA/SoC vendors (e.g., ADI with Xilinx/AMD, or Maxim integrated into ADI) to offer complete signal chain solutions.
• AI as an Enabler: AI’s impact on this industry is two-fold: internally, through AI-assisted design and test (as demonstrated by Synopsys/Keysight keysight.com and echoed at DAC eetimes.com); and externally, through the demand for chips to support AI at the edge. Analog AI accelerators (like EnCharge’s memory-based compute chips) and ultra-efficient power management for AI hardware will be growth areas. There is a strong push to embed more intelligence at the edge (sensors that can do local AI processing), which will require innovation in analog neural network accelerators and low-power RF links for distributed AI.
• Expanding Frequencies and Integration: The quest for more bandwidth and higher frequencies (mmWave/THz) in communication and sensing will continue. We’ll likely hear about early 6G test chip results in frequencies above 100 GHz within the next year. Achieving reliable components at those frequencies often means integrating III-V materials or using exotic switching technologies (like the PCM switches towersemi.com). Packaging will also be crucial – expect advancements in 3D heterogeneous integration to package GaN, SiGe, and CMOS dies together for optimal RF modules. The recently demoed multi-chip integration (like Tower’s 110 GHz switch with on-chip drivers towersemi.com) is a precursor to the kind of heterogeneous integration we’ll see more widely.
• Markets Realigning: In terms of applications, automotive and industrial are poised to pick up steam again moving into 2026 as macroeconomic conditions improve (inventory cycles will complete, and underlying demand for EVs and automation is strong). The defense sector remains robust, often insulated from consumer market swings, and will drive the high end of performance (pushing analog/RF companies to deliver cutting-edge performance for lucrative defense contracts). Consumer electronics might see a boost if new features (like better AR/VR, health monitoring, or advanced connectivity) spur an upgrade cycle – any such trend would directly benefit analog/RF content in devices.
• Supply Chain Resilience: The lessons of the past few years are prompting a more resilient supply chain strategy. We may see analog and RF fabs being built or expanded outside traditional hubs – e.g., the U.S. and Europe boosting analog/mixed-signal fab capacity via incentives. If geopolitical calm holds, cross-border collaboration in supply chains will continue, but firms are likely hedging bets by dual-sourcing critical components and ensuring they have local alternatives for key EDA tools and manufacturing steps (the EDA access restoration reuters.com is a relief in this sense).

In essence, the mixed-signal and RF component industry in mid-2025 is healthy and dynamic. It’s an indispensable part of the semiconductor world, often operating behind the scenes even as digital logic and AI chips grab headlines. The news and developments from June and July 2025 reinforce that while the analog/RF sector may not always be flashy, it is evolving rapidly – delivering the precision, speed, and intelligence that our increasingly connected world demands. As companies navigate the tail end of the pandemic-era boom-bust cycle and adjust to new geopolitical realities, those that invest in innovation, adaptability, and strategic partnerships are poised to thrive. All signs point to a future where mixed-signal and RF technologies play an even greater role in enabling the next leap in communications, computing, and smart systems – a future that is unfolding even now, one meticulously engineered analog waveform at a time.

Sources: Recent press releases, industry news sites, and expert analyses were used to compile this report, including announcements from IMS 2025, market research summaries, and reporting by outlets like Everything RF, EE Times, Reuters, and company newsrooms prnewswire.com kpmg.com reuters.com towersemi.com eetimes.com. Each factual claim is backed by a citation to these primary sources for verification and further reading.