Saudi FM calls Indian, Pakistani counterparts to discuss developments    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Arabia cracks down on fraudulent Hajj campaigns, urges pilgrims to use official channels    Nammos Amala Resort to open soon with Saudi-Greek designs    Saudi Arabia completes 674 Vision 2030 initiatives, achieves 93% of KPIs as ninth-year milestone marked    Literature Commission inaugurates Saudi Pavilion at Muscat Book Fair    Saudi Minister of Culture holds talks with his Costa Rican counterpart in Jeddah    Alkhorayef praises advancements in Al-Kharj food industries sector    MHRSD: 80% of recruitment offices are non-compliant with regulations    At least 50 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza    Teenage girl killed in French school stabbing attack    Trump claims meeting with China after Beijing denies any trade negotiations    GACA chief chairs 16th meeting of the Steering Committee on aviation's strategy    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Jennifer Lopez dazzles in Jeddah with a Formula 1 performance    Saudi Arabia open to expanded 64-team World Cup in 2034, says sports minister    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Film Commission launches 'Cinema' initiative to enhance content    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Why now is the time to localize semiconductors?
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 07 - 04 - 2022

Saudi Arabia's leaders in the field of fundamental research, application and the development of semiconductor technologies gathered at the first KSA Future of Semiconductors Forum, held in Riyadh March 30 –31, 2022, an event organized by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), and the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Authority to explore strategies for developing a vibrant semiconductor industry in the Kingdom.
Representatives from the Ministry of Investment also attended the forum, with sponsorship from Saudi Aramco, Yokogawa, JEOL, TRYSL TECH, and Cadence.
Semiconductor-powered technologies are transforming our world; they form the foundations of pivotal future-enabling fields such as energy generation, sensors and information technologies, among others. The integrated circuit (IC) chip has been at the heart of technological innovation, and semiconductors, the backbone of the third and fourth industrial revolutions.
Yet over the last two years, the world has experienced a severe global shortage of semiconductor chips — among the many challenges wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, and also as a result of the mass evolution of industries that employ semiconductor technology.
Currently, most of the IC chips are manufactured outside the Kingdom, mainly in North America, Europe and East Asia. As a result, companies are struggling to meet demands. The automotive industry is one example. Chips are needed to produce new cars, and the shift toward electric car production has increased the requirement for more IC chips than ever before. Demand for computers, laptops, tablets and electronics also skyrocketed with the exponential rise in people working remotely at the height of the pandemic. And the rise of 5G networks has significantly accelerated demand.
Dr. Xiaohang Li, KAUST associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, is one of nine KAUST faculty members who participated in the inaugural forum. Li said that in previous years, different governments were not active in investing in semiconductor manufacturing, development and research: "As a result, the manufacturing output remained relatively stagnant, while the demand went from linear to exponential."
He said that the pandemic highlighted the critical need to better secure the global supply chain for semiconductors, and that many countries, including Saudi Arabia, have realized that having a domestic supply chain is key to stable employment, operations and national security.
"Local semiconductor researchers and developers can play a very important role in diversifying the economy of Saudi Arabia," said Li. "As the Kingdom is keen to develop projects in artificial intelligence (AI) and other crucial fields, advanced semiconductor technology becomes vital to their success; without semiconductor chips, there's no AI."
To this end, the forum was ideally timed to focus on a national strategic plan for advanced manufacturing and technological capability, with the goals of participating organizations aligned to the overall Saudi Vision 2030. The Kingdom anticipates many benefits from localizing electronic chips and semiconductor technology capabilities in diverse sectors, such as the digital economy, automotive industry, manufacturing and defense.
Distinguished Professor Donal Bradley, KAUST's Vice President for Research said, "We're truly delighted to partner with KACST and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Saudi Semiconductor Program, and support the growth of new industries in the Kingdom. KAUST started its future of semiconductors initiative last year to draw together the many strands of our comprehensive semiconductor research and innovation activities, which span a wide range of materials, deposition processes, characterization and fabrication techniques, devices and systems, and multiple applications." — SG


Clic here to read the story from its source.