As the foundation of the digital age, the core and licorice of IT components is undoubtedly the sensor. As cutting-edge industries become more advanced, the demand for high-performance and high-precision industrial sensors increases, and as a result, it is beginning to receive attention as a high value-added industry.

According to a recent report by global market research firm Markets and Markets, the industrial sensor market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5% from $27.9 billion (approximately KRW 37 trillion) in 2024 to $42.1 billion (approximately KRW 56 trillion) in 2029.

Industrial sensors are sensors that collect data in real time from various points in the manufacturing process, such as image, level, power, pressure, temperature, vibration, and flow sensors, and are used for monitoring and analysis. They are mainly adopted in predictive maintenance and process management programs.

Due to the 4th industrial revolution and the increasing demand for IIoT, it is being actively adopted for precision control and measurement in manufacturing processes such as automation and smart factories.

The report projects that the level sensor market will hold the largest market share during the forecast period. A level sensor is a type of flow sensor that measures and controls the level of materials such as liquids and solids inside containers such as tanks and reactors.

On the other hand, despite the increasing market demand, there is also significant downward pressure on unit prices due to fierce competition among suppliers. The report notes that the chicken game between new entrants into the sensor market, low-cost product lines, and suppliers of existing product lines could limit R&D and innovation.

Major suppliers include ST Microelectronics, Rockwell Automation, Texas Instruments, Honeywell International, Siemens, Panasonic, and Bosch Sensortec.

Industrial sensors are evolving into intelligent sensors and, through convergence with AI, into edge computing systems that analyze and classify data, predict errors, and perform maintenance interventions based on machine learning and deep learning modeling.

As modern industrial processes become increasingly complex, the industrial sensor market is demanding higher accuracy, wider operating range, and higher sensitivity.

Industrial intelligent sensors span the following industries: semiconductor design and manufacturing, nano, bio design, materials, and embedded software as downstream industries, and healthcare, automotive electrical components, games/mobile, smart manufacturing, and security as upstream industries.

Existing sensor makers also see no marketability in the low-cost sensor chicken game and are focusing on developing and manufacturing high value-added sensors such as MEMS sensors, convergence sensors, and nano sensors.

In Korea, industry, academia, and research are also cooperating to develop industrial intelligent sensors. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups, together with the Technology Information Promotion Agency for Small and Medium Businesses (TIPA), is establishing a roadmap for the development of industrial intelligent sensor technology and carrying out related projects.

By 2025, we plan to complete the development of the following technologies: △Edge computing and wired/wireless communication convergence sensor technology, △Low-power sensor technology, △Complex sensor technology for motion detection, and △Heterogeneous sensor networking technology.

As China rises to occupy 10% of the global smart sensor market, attention is focused on whether the domestic sensor industry can achieve the tasks of innovation and ecosystem creation among existing global manufacturers.