Semiconductor startups are costly and high-risk, consuming early-stage capital with uncertain long-term returns. Processors have become strategically important, prompting export bans and shipment-tracking measures by governments. Many developed countries pursue semiconductor capabilities for both economic and national security reasons. The UK launched a national semiconductor strategy in May 2023 to boost its position. A Council for Science and Technology report described the UK as having a niche, highly specialised chip industry unlikely to compete with US, Taiwan, or Korea. The UK emphasizes chip design over mass fabrication, has around 25 manufacturing sites, and has invested in compound semiconductor technology via EPSRC since 2006 for applications like optical sensitivity and power management.
Feature It's not easy to grow a national chip industry. Semiconductor startups are a risky investment. They chew through early-stage capital, often with little to show for it, making them a long-term proposition. Those that pay off can deliver big, but success is far from guaranteed. Yet at the same time, processors are becoming more strategically important to governments, to the point where governments are banning shipments to certain countries and putting trackers in chip shipments to see where they end up.
That's why in May 2023 the UK government put a national semiconductor strategy in place as a plan to elevate its position in this business. In fact, just yesterday, a report from the Council for Science and Technology noted that the UK has a "niche and highly specialised chip industry" that is never going to be able to compete head-to-head with global big hitters like the US, Taiwan, and Korea, meaning the country needs to channel investment into areas where it can lead.
Collection
[
|
...
]