Welsh compound semiconductor activity given £25 million
The government funding is slightly more than half of the total project value of £43.74 million (about US$54.3 million).
The project partners include: Cardiff University, Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult; Compound Semiconductor Centre (CSC); IQE plc; MicroLink Devices UK Ltd. Newport Wafer Fab (NWF); Rockley Photonics; Swansea University and SPTS Technologies.
Engineered wafer and semiconductor materials supplier IQE plc (Cardiff, Wales) welcomed the money and said the project includes four collaborative R&D projects, one of which will be led by IQE. The company added that it will play a materials development role across each of the four projects.
Drew Nelson, CEO of IQE, said: “The UK leads the world in the design and manufacturing of compound semiconductor wafers. This funding from the UK government is welcome and serves as recognition of the potential of the cluster which remains the world’s first for compound semiconductors, and will be crucial in helping the UK to fulfil its technology potential.”
The UK government said that project would help establish a cluster of manufacturing excellence, including a “skills academy” to provide training in manufacturing to small-to-medium sized businesses in the region. The funding would also deliver “major technological advances” in areas such as communications, 5G cellular communications, autonomous vehicles and medical devices, the UK government said.
UK Secretary of State for Business Alok Sharma said the money would help scientists and researchers create new things and that this would benefit consumers and create jobs in South Wales.
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