UK Government makes new investment into Semiconductor innovation
On March 28th, the UK Government announced new funding for industry and researchers to access equipment to test chips used in power electronics.
£14m of this sum will be focused on chips converting and controlling power in energy intensive machines like Electric Vehicles and manufacturing equipment.
The ability to test new innovations and techniques in power electronics, as well as improving packaging methods is essential to the growth of the semiconductor industry. The majority of this support will go to businesses and researchers in Newcastle and Strathclyde, allowing organisations of all sizes to test new processes, leading to improved consumer devices, electric vehicle development and automated assembly processes.
The investment was made through Innovate UK, and comes on the heel of recent semiconductor support around skills and R&D. This is part of the National Semiconductor Strategy, which pledged to capitalise on UK strengths in R&D, Design and IP, and Compound Semiconductors.
techUK welcomes this announcement, as a positive step towards building an innovative and resilient domestic sector. However, if the UK is truly hoping to compete internationally on IP and Design, R&D, and compound semiconductors, greater steps will be needed. Government should leverage the rhetoric of the National Semiconductor Strategy to deliver an ambitious and co-ordinated plan of action across the recommendations, enabling the UK semiconductor industry to thrive. To read techUK's UK Plan for chips, click here.
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