TAIPEI: Taiwanese major Kionix, a company that is into MEM accelerometers or g-sensors, is keeping its fingers crossed with regard to outsourcing of ASIC chip production to other foundries.

According to Eric D Eisenhut, vice president of sales and marketing, of the company, Kionix is not currently ruling out the possibility of outsourcing the production of ASIC chips to capable foundry chipmakers.

This thought comes at a point when shipments of Kionix are estimated to grow by 50 per cent in 2009. The Kionix executive said that the growth will be much higher during year 2010.

It is a known fact that the consumer electronics MEMS market, along with the handheld devices space would ensure that the growth momentum of the global MEMS industry gets accelerated..

Besides, market analysts say that the demand for automotive MEMS sensors has zoomed in a big way owning to added penetration of built-in air bags. This is considered a rosy scene for the market , even though the automotive market has remained sluggish for quite some time now.

It may so be recalled that there have been recent reports that low-priced electronic sensors from China may affect the g-sensor market. However, according to Eric D Eisenhut, the impact will not stay to be a long-term phenomenon. It is being foreseen that an added number of handset makers might possibly adopt g-sensors in their bid to bring in advanced functionality.