The IfM Engage consortium has been commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to undertake a study into infrastructure to grow the UK semiconductor industry and a new strategic coordination function for the sector. Five capabilities are being considered as part of the proposed initiative:
1. Silicon manufacturing capability to support prototyping
2. Advanced packaging capability
3. Compound open-access foundry capability
4. Design IP/tooling capability
5. Strategic coordination capability that would provide an institutional framework around the infrastructure components
Over the last six months, the IfM Engage consortium has been engaging with industry and academia and has been collecting data to assess the semiconductor infrastructure requirements to assist commercial R&D and strategic coordination for the UK semiconductor industry. Surveys were conducted with over 140 organisations to assess their current provision and infrastructure capabilities, followed by workshops to validate the survey findings.
Now that the data has been analysed and validated, a series of presentations on the findings will be conducted in six key semiconductor clusters around the UK: Northern Ireland, Scotland, the North East, Bristol, South Wales and Cambridge. These engagements aim to:
• Present and discuss the current outputs from the work so far
• Discuss the emerging potential interventions
• Confirm the identified barriers and how those interventions can help address those
These events are free and open to all stakeholders interested in the outcomes of the semiconductor sector study, including semiconductor companies, orginial equipment manufacturers (OEMs), academic institutions and other end users of chips in dependent sectors critical to the future UK economy, such as automotive, AI, telecoms, and quantum.
Please email Dr Nicky Athanassopoulou (naa14@cam.ac.uk) for more information.
