UK report urges push on semiconductors
TechUK has updated its Plan for Chips report, two years on from its initial publication, and is calling for more decisive action for UK semiconductors.
The revised report has nine recommendations, urging the UK Government to accelerate the implementation of its National Semiconductor Strategy and declare semiconductors as critical national infrastructure. This comes as the US is proposing 25% tariffs on semiconductor imports and cancelling funding plans under the US CHIPS Act and the European Union rolls out a series of pilot lines.
techUK welcomed the publication of the National Semiconductor Strategy in 2023, which incorporated key recommendations from its UK Plan for Chips. However, while the Strategy set a strong vision, progress is described as ‘incremental’.
“The UK government must act on this report, focusing support on fast-growing businesses to unlock the full potential of the sector and stay competitive in a global market poised to reach $1 trillion by 2030,” said Richard Price, CTO of Pragmatic Semiconductor, which has a 300mm fab in Durham for plastic semiconductors.
Decisive action is now required, says TechUK, which is one of several trade groups with a focus on semiconductors. Techworks issued a five point plan at the end of last year to boost the semiconductor sector, while the Semiconductor Advisory Pane, co-chaired by the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, Lord Patrick Vallance and Dr Jalal Bagherli is expected to feed back into the coming spending review. It is also looking to fill four vacancies with new members to provide advice and bring an external perspective to advise the UK’s department for science, innovation and technology (DSIT).
- UK Semiconductor Institute short on details
- Save UK chip industry says semiconductor leadership group
- Underwhelming semiconductor strategy is set up to fail
“techUK rightly emphasises the urgent need to accelerate the UK’s National Semiconductor Strategy. Semiconductors are the backbone of modern technology, and securing the UK’s role in this fast-growing industry is vital for economic growth, innovation, and resilience,” said Price.
The TechUK report calls for the establishment of the National Semiconductor Centre which was proposed by the Institute for Manufacturing’s Semiconductor Infrastructure Initiative Feasibility Study in 2023. This would be alongside a Design Competence Centre so that design centres seek to pool resources and provide a facility for research, knowledge transfer and collaboration between different organisations and disciplines, as well as a semiconductor design and IP taskforce.
It also calls for an open access foundry with Pilot Lines capability to bolster R&D in areas where the UK can be internationally competitive.
There remains a gap for pilot lines, which allow for the development, testing and validation of designs before scaling manufacturing says the report. This is also reflected by the opening of a series of virtual pilot lines across Europe for sub-1nm designs, FD-SOI low power process and advanced packaging for chiplets.
“Providing an open access foundry with pilot lines would support small volume domestic manufacturing and allow for the effective testing of new designs in a local, more cost-friendly manner,” says the report. This should be focussed on compound semiconductors, nanofabrication, quantum and silicon photonics.
“Core value creation lies in semiconductor manufacturing, which has significant potential to boost the UK’s economy. Europe and the US are already investing heavily; competitive incentives in areas such as capital investment are urgently needed to level the playing field,” said Price.
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
