Automotive Industry Today

Global High-Frequency PCB for Automotive Radar Market to Hit $0.83 Billion by 2031, Driven by ADAS and Autonomous Driving Uptake

QYResearch’s latest report projects the global high-frequency PCB for automotive radar market to reach USD 0.83 billion by 2031, expanding at a CAGR of 16.1% (2025–2031). Growth is powered by the rising adoption of ADAS and autonomous driving, increasing radar units per vehicle, and regulatory safety mandates across major markets. The report highlights market segmentation by multilayer PCB designs and radar applications, with 8-layer PCBs and front radars dominating current demand. North America leads the market today, while Asia-Pacific is set to be the fastest-growing region, driven by large-scale automotive production and rapid ADAS integration.
Published 06 October 2025

Pune, India– October 6, 2025 – The global market for high-frequency printed circuit boards (PCBs) used in automotive radar systems is poised for robust growth over the next decade. According to a new report by QYResearch, the market size is projected to reach approximately USD $832 million by 2031, up from an estimated $286 million in 2024.This represents a 16.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2025 to 2031. The surge is fueled by the rapid adoption of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and higher-level autonomous driving features in vehicles worldwide, which in turn is driving unprecedented demand for automotive radar components and the specialized high-frequency PCBs that enable them.

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Market Overview and Growth Drivers

Automotive radars have become indispensable sensors for modern vehicle safety and autonomy, and high-frequency PCBs are a critical enabling technology for these radar modules. Multiple factors are propelling the growth of this market:

Rising ADAS and Autonomous Driving Adoption: The global push toward Level 2+ and Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities is boosting the number of radar sensors per vehicle. Many new vehicles now include features like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot detection – all of which rely on radar. Each L2+/L3 enabled car may use five to six radar units, and fully autonomous prototypes use even more (8–12 radars per vehicle), a sharp increase from the 2–3 units in traditional cars. High-frequency PCBs are essential in these radars to provide the low-loss, high-stability signal transmission required for accurate object detection.The greater radar sensor count per car directly translates to significantly higher PCB demand.

Regulatory and Safety Mandates: Government safety regulators and industry rating programs are accelerating radar adoption by mandating collision avoidance and driver-assist technologies. Organizations like Euro NCAP in Europe and the U.S. NHTSA now require radar-based safety features (such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Blind Spot Detection) in new vehicles. For instance, the EU’s General Safety Regulation has made advanced safety systems (including radar sensors) compulsory in new car models.These mandates are spurring automakers globally to integrate more radar units, thereby bolstering demand for high-frequency radar PCBs.

Increasing Radar Performance Demands: As carmakers strive for higher levels of autonomy and safety, the technical requirements for radar systems are rising. There is a shift toward higher-frequency (77 GHz/79 GHz) radar technology (moving up from older 24 GHz systems) to achieve better resolution and range, especially for front-facing long-range radars and emerging imaging radars. Meeting these performance needs requires advanced PCB materials and designs that can handle millimeter-wave frequencies with minimal signal loss. This includes using special high-grade laminates (e.g. Rogers, Taconic, Panasonic substrates) and tighter manufacturing tolerances. The pursuit of improved radar resolution and range is thus a key trend driving the uptake of high-performance, high-frequency PCB solutions.

These drivers collectively paint a positive outlook for market growth. ADAS content per vehicle is expanding, regulators are incentivizing radar deployment, and technology trends favor more capable radars – all of which depend on high-frequency PCB innovation.

Market Challenges and Restraints

Despite the optimistic growth scenario, the industry faces several challenges and barriers that could temper the pace of expansion:

High Material and Production Costs: Advanced high-frequency PCB substrates (such as PTFE-based laminates by Rogers or similar) are specialized and cost significantly more than standard automotive PCB materials. These substrates can be 2–3 times more expensive, which raises the bill of materials for radar units. Additionally, fabrication of high-frequency boards often requires sophisticated processes (for example, precision impedance control and ultra-smooth copper foils), contributing to higher production costs.

Complex Manufacturing & Yield Issues: Producing millimeter-wave frequency PCBs entails stringent design and manufacturing tolerances. Even slight variations can impact signal integrity at 77 GHz. The necessary precision – in dielectric thickness, trace geometry, and layer alignment – makes manufacturing more complex. As a result, yield rates tend to be lower, and lead times longer, compared to conventional PCBs. Manufacturers face challenges in scaling up production while maintaining quality, which can constrain supply and profit margins.

Potential Technology Substitution: Emerging radar packaging technologies pose a substitution risk to traditional radar PCB assemblies. For example, antenna-in-package (AiP) designs and CMOS single-chip radars are being developed that integrate the antenna and RF circuitry directly into a chip or package.If these approaches mature, they could reduce the size or even the necessity of external PCBs in radar sensors. The industry must innovate to keep the PCB central to radar architecture as integration trends advance.

Supply Chain Concentration: The supply of high-frequency PCB materials is currently highly concentrated. A few key suppliers (mostly in the U.S. and Japan) dominate the advanced laminate market. This dependence means any supply disruptions or price hikes in these specialty materials could impact radar PCB manufacturers globally. It also makes regional markets keen to develop local sources to improve supply chain resilience (as discussed in Opportunities below).

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Key Market Segments and Trends

The new report provides insight into how the market breaks down by product type and application, revealing where the growth is concentrated:

Product Type – Multilayer PCBs Lead: High-frequency automotive radar PCBs are typically multilayer boards, and increasingly so. 8-layer PCBs currently form the largest product segment, accounting for about 41.7% of the market. These high-layer-count boards are favored in advanced radar units (such as long-range forward radars and imaging radars) because they accommodate complex antenna routing and multi-channel signal processing circuitry. In comparison, simpler 4-layer boards are used in cost-sensitive short-range “corner” radars, providing basic signal and power interconnects, while 6-layer boards are common in mid-range radars for standard ADAS features.The dominance of 8-layer boards reflects a broader industry trend: as vehicles adopt more capable ADAS and autonomous functions, radar designs demand greater bandwidth and integration, which is achieved by moving to higher multilayer PCB designs. This trend is expected to continue, with even 10-layer or higher PCBs being explored for next-generation radar modules.

Application – Front Radars Dominate: By application, front-facing radars represent the largest share at about 58.4% of the market.Front radars, typically mounted in a vehicle’s grille or front bumper, are long-range sensors (often exceeding 200 meters range) that enable critical ADAS features like adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. These radars are evolving toward high-resolution “imaging” capability to better discern objects and pedestrians ahead. In contrast, corner radars (mounted at the corners of the vehicle) serve short-to-mid range detection for blind spot monitoring, lane change assist, and parking aid. Notably, corner radars are in transition from 24 GHz technology to 77/79 GHz to meet the greater accuracy requirements of L2+ autonomy scenarios.Both front and corner radars are complementary components of modern ADAS, and together they form the sensor backbone for semi-autonomous driving functions. The prevalence of front radars in terms of market share underscores the priority automakers place on forward safety systems, while the growth in corner radars is picking up as cars add more radar coverage for 360-degree awareness.

Beyond these segments, another important industry trend is the push for radar sensor miniaturization and integration. Manufacturers are developing more compact radar modules where components are highly integrated on the PCB to save space and weight. Innovations such as embedding radar transceiver chips and antennas on multilayer PCB substrates are being pursued to streamline module size. This miniaturization trend further drives demand for advanced PCB technologies (high-density multilayer designs, better materials) and opens opportunities to use radar PCBs in new placements and vehicle types.

Regional Outlook: Asia-Pacific Rising, North America Leading

The high-frequency automotive radar PCB market is global in scope, with strong growth across all major automotive regions. Currently, North America is the single largest regional market, accounting for roughly one-third of global revenue in 2023. Early adoption of ADAS features in the U.S. and Canada, along with a robust consumer demand for high-end safety tech in vehicles, has kept North America at the forefront. Close behind, the Asia-Pacific region (notably China, Japan, and South Korea) is the fastest-growing market, with a growth rate projected above 10% annually. Asia-Pacific’s rapid expansion is driven by its massive automotive production volume and the quick uptake of radar-based ADAS in markets like China and India.China in particular has made advanced safety and autonomous features a key focus in its domestic auto industry, fueling demand for radar components and PCBs.

Europe also represents a significant portion of the market, contributing an estimated quarter of global radar PCB demand. European growth is bolstered by stringent safety regulations (such as EU requirements for collision avoidance systems) and the premium car segment’s emphasis on state-of-the-art ADAS. Automakers in Germany, for example, have been leaders in deploying 77 GHz radar in luxury models. Meanwhile, other regions including Latin America and the Middle East/Africa have smaller shares today but are seeing increasing radar adoption as safety standards and vehicle technologies gradually advance globally.

Overall, the outlook is truly global – with North America and Europe driving current revenues, and Asia-Pacific gearing up to lead future growth. This worldwide demand underlines the universal importance of vehicle safety and autonomy trends that high-frequency radar PCBs support.

Competitive Landscape

The market for high-frequency automotive radar PCBs is served by a mix of specialized PCB manufacturers and large automotive electronics suppliers. According to QYResearch, the industry is moderately consolidated, with the top five players accounting for roughly 56% of global revenue in 2024. Leading companies include Unitech PCB, WUS Printed Circuit, AT&S, Dynamic Electronics, and Meiko, all of whom have established expertise in high-layer count PCB fabrication for automotive applications. Other notable players mentioned in the report are Schweizer Electronic, Dongguan Somacis Graphic PCB, Shennan Circuits, Zhen Ding Tech, Shengyi Electronics, among others. Many of these firms are based in Asia or have significant operations there, reflecting the region’s strength in PCB manufacturing.

Competitive strategies in this sector focus on technological capability and reliability. Top manufacturers are investing in advanced PCB materials and process technologies to meet automakers’ requirements for low signal loss and high thermal stability at millimeter-wave frequencies. There is also an emphasis on scaling up production to handle the growing volume of radar units, while maintaining strict automotive quality standards (e.g. ISO 26262 for functional safety, TS16949 for manufacturing). Mergers and partnerships are occurring as companies aim to broaden their technical know-how and global footprint. Overall, while a handful of major players lead in market share, competition remains dynamic – with smaller and newer PCB fabricators also targeting this high-growth niche as ADAS and autonomous driving trends accelerate.

Opportunities Ahead

Looking forward, industry analysts identify several key opportunities that could unlock further growth in the high-frequency radar PCB market:

Autonomy Levels 3+ on the Horizon: The eventual rollout of Level 3 and higher autonomous driving in consumer vehicles will dramatically increase radar sensor requirements. Fully autonomous cars could use a dozen or more radars for redundancy and environmental coverage. Each step up in autonomy (from L2 to L3, L3 to L4) is expected to multiply PCB demand per vehicle, creating a multi-billion dollar incremental market opportunity in the coming years. OEMs and suppliers positioning for higher autonomy are likely to invest heavily in radar systems, directly benefiting high-frequency PCB orders.

Localization of High-Frequency Materials: Recognizing the supply chain bottlenecks, various countries are promoting local production of the specialized RF laminates and PCB materials needed for high-frequency boards. China, European nations, and the United States are all investing in domestic capability for high-frequency substrates(with companies like Shengyi in China, Doosan in Korea, Isola in the U.S. expanding in this area). If successful, these efforts could reduce material costs and supply risks, making high-frequency PCBs more accessible and affordable for radar manufacturers in those regions. A more localized supply chain would also support the expected volume ramp-up for autonomous driving.

Cross-Industry Applications (5G and Satellite): High-frequency PCB technology has uses beyond automotive radar. The same high-performance boards are in demand for 5G wireless infrastructure, low-earth-orbit satellite communications, and aerospace radar/communication systems. Automotive PCB suppliers that leverage their know-how to serve these adjacent markets could tap into additional revenue streams. The convergence of telecommunications (e.g. 77 GHz 5G small cells) and automotive radar frequencies means PCB innovations can often be repurposed across industries, broadening the market horizon.

Module Miniaturization and Integration: As highlighted earlier, the trend toward smaller, integrated radar modules is both a challenge and an opportunity. PCB makers who develop solutions for embedding more components (even antennas) into multilayer boards, and for stacking or flexibly connecting boards into compact assemblies, will enable the next generation of tiny radar sensors. This opens opportunities to place radars in new parts of the vehicle (headlights, side mirrors, etc.) and even in drones or robots. The demand for multi-layer high-frequency PCBs is expected to rise in line with these miniaturization trends, benefiting manufacturers that can deliver cutting-edge board designs.

Conclusion

In summary, the High-Frequency PCB for Automotive Radar Market is entering a phase of unprecedented growth and innovation. Strong market drivers like ADAS proliferation, regulatory support, and technological advancements are pushing the market toward a forecasted $0.83 billion by 2031. While challenges such as high costs and emerging alternative technologies exist, the overall trajectory remains highly positive. Industry stakeholders – from PCB manufacturers to automotive OEMs and investors – are keenly watching this space as vehicles become smarter and safer. High-frequency PCBs may be a behind-the-scenes component, but they are crucial enablers of the radar sensors powering the future of autonomous and assisted driving.

For more information about the report and its findings, please visit: https://www.qyresearch.in/report-details/1045728/high-frequency-pcb-for-automotive-radar-market

About QYResearch:

QYResearch, founded in California in 2007, is a leading global market research and consulting company. With over 17 years of experience and a professional research team spread across various cities worldwide, QYResearch specializes in market analysis, supply chain research, management consulting, and IPO advisory services. The firm is globally recognized for its expansive portfolio of research reports and its strong commitment to quality and sustainability. To date, QYResearch has served over 60,000 clients across five continents. The company continues to provide in-depth insights and strategic intelligence to help clients navigate changing market landscapes and achieve growth objectives.

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