The First ever UK Semiconductors Business Delegation to Taiwan

Led by Professor Julia Sutcliffe, Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) at the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the first ever UK Semiconductors business delegation consisting of 19 high-growth, innovate British businesses will be visiting Taiwan soon next week from 5 Sept and showcasing the UK’s capability across the semiconductor sector with an UK Pavilion at the 2023 SEMICON Taiwan. With Taiwan being a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing, this delegation visit aims to explore opportunities and partnership for trade, investment and R&D collaboration in Taiwan.

The UK’s participation in SEMICON Taiwan this year comes following the recent publication of the UK’s National Semiconductor Strategy in May, highlighting the UK’s strength in compound semiconductors, in R&D, and in IP and chip design. The 19 British businesses will be demonstrating their innovative design, software, equipments and materials at SEMICON Taiwan, representing a fraction of the UK semiconductor sector has to offer.

Under the long-lasting UK-Taiwan science and technology relations, the visit of this UK Semiconductor delegation is built on the two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) signed between Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult and ITRI Taiwan back in 2020, and between Innovate UK and The Department of Industrial Technology, MOEA of Taiwan last year with the announcement of recent bilateral R&D funding competitions. Both Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult and Innovate UK are also accompanying the delegation to Taiwan.

Aside from the SEMICON Taiwan programme, the delegation will also participate in an innovative R&D pitch forumheld at ITRI in Hsinchu.

The CSA at DBT will also be meeting with Audrey Tang, Minister of Digital Affairs to follow up on the UK-Taiwan collaboration raised during Minister Tang’s visit to the London Tech Week in June. CSA will also visit UMC, Academia Sinica and Taiwan Space Agency to further strengthen the UK’s science and technology links with Taiwan.

Ahead of her visit, Professor Sutcliffe said:

I am delighted to be leading the first ever UK semiconductors business delegation to Taiwan. Taiwan has a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem comprising design, foundry, assembly and testing facilities, and a vast network of suppliers and vendors. The UK is a world leader in new and emerging semiconductor materials, design and IP, device research and design automation.

With the increasing demand for electronics in areas such as electric/autonomous vehicles, smart cities, telecommunications, and healthcare, along with the need for smaller, faster, and more power-efficient chips and the need for innovation in green energy, there are significant opportunities for collaboration between the UK and Taiwan in the semiconductor sector.

Come visit the UK Pavilion at SEMICON Taiwan to learn how the UK is the natural European partner for co-operation and collaboration opportunities.