March 22, 2012, Seoul — STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM), a global semiconductor company in various electronic device applications, announced that it has shipped 2 billion MEMS units to date, solidifying its position as the world's number one in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) devices for consumer and portable electronics. This achievement comes just 15 months after ST shipped 1 billion MEMS sensors, reaffirming ST's competitiveness in the field through rapid shipment growth.
ST’s MEMS sensors have enabled motion-activated interfaces in numerous popular consumer devices, including smartphones, tablets, personal media players, game consoles, digital cameras, and remote controls, enhancing the accessibility and appeal of these devices. ST MEMS are also used in free-fall protection systems for laptop hard disk drives, healthcare devices, automotive infotainment, and modern navigation systems. They are also used in automotive MEMS devices such as airbags and tire pressure monitors.

According to market analysis firm IHS iSuppli, ST's MEMS sales in the consumer device sector increased by over 80% in 2011 to approximately $650 million, recording more than double the revenue of the second-place competitor. ST is set to maintain its position as the leading supplier to portable device and consumer electronics manufacturers in both motion sensor-type accelerometers and gyroscopes. IHS iSuppli attributes the company's rapid capture of approximately 50% of the consumer accelerometer market share to the success of its MEMS gyroscope division. Driven by MEMS gyroscope sales growth, the gyroscope division's revenue-based market share increased from 1% in 2009 to 70% in 2011.

In 2006, ST established the world's first dedicated 8-inch MEMS manufacturing line, successfully commercializing MEMS and applying them to high-volume consumer electronics and mobile devices. Recently, ST has increased its MEMS production capacity to over 3 million sensors per day to meet growing consumer demand for high-performance, cost-effective sensors.
As a one-stop MEMS supplier, ST offers a broad portfolio of micro-machined accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors, magnetic sensors, and microphones, and possesses the technology to integrate these devices with onboard processing and wireless connectivity in multi-sensor combos. ST holds the world's first records in the MEMS field, including the latest dual-core gyroscopes capable of handling user motion recognition and camera image stabilization in mobile phones and tablets. Leading technological development with over 600 MEMS-related patents, ST will advance the development of intelligent and standalone sensors and improve fields such as consumer electronics, healthcare, and environmental science.
According to IHS iSuppli, motion sensors are expected to continue dominating the consumer and portable MEMS market. Including magnetometers increasingly integrated with accelerometers and gyroscopes, the total value of motion sensors in the consumer electronics sector increased by 40% from $1.112 billion in 2010 to $1.557 billion in 2011, and is projected to reach $2.5 billion in 2015, recording an annual growth rate of 18%.