TechWorks Semiconductor Leadership Group
TechWorks SLG consists of senior executives from organisations across the UK semiconductor value chain. We identify and promote UK strengths and opportunities, providing a unified and balanced industry voice, and supporting Government with expert advice and meaningful policy recommendations.
The UK opportunity
In the UK, hundreds of companies and close to 100,000 staff are engaged across the semiconductor value chain from R&D to product engineering, manufacturing and application development. All developed nations have identified semiconductor capability as a national priority and there is a unique opportunity for the UK to substantially grow our own industry to ensure we compete in the coming decades. As an advanced economy, our future national wellbeing will depend on growing competitive, successful companies that design, make and sell semiconductor products.
The SLG Members
The semiconductor century
Since the start of the century, the growth in microelectronics has been exponential. Smartphones, watches, cars, industrial equipment have all been defined or redefined by this technology. Over the same period, the semiconductor market has grown from $150bn to almost $1tn globally, whilst chip complexity has increased from 250,000 transistors per mm2 (at 180nm) to 180 million (at 2nm). Forecast to become a $2tn industry by 2035, there remains no market which semiconductors have not touched.
We are living through a new age of discovery and innovation, with breakthroughs in fundamental science and technology unlocking transformational opportunities in AI, Quantum, Robotics & automation, E-mobility, Clean energy, and more.
At the heart of all these new and emerging markets are innovations in semiconductor devices. Devices which define the very function of the emergent product or service and are the fundamental invention which enable these solutions to exist.
AI & Future compute:
GPU, IPU Neuromorphic chips, Edge inference, In-memory & Optical compute
Quantum:
q-bit chips, Quantum sensors, transceivers & encryption, Photonic inter-connect
Advanced Communications
WiFi,5G/6G, LPWA IoT, Sat Comms, Optical, GNSS,Power Electronics, PQ crypto, AI/ML
E-mobility
Wireless comm’s, Power Electronics, Sensors, MCUs, AI/ML
Robotics & Automation
Power Electronics, Sensors, MCUs, AI/ML
Defence
Wireless, RF, Sensors & Guidance, Power Electronics, MCUs, Encryption, AI/ML inference
Metaverse & XR
Micro-display LED, Sensors, HP compute, MCUs, AI/ML
Clean Energy & Net-zero
Power Electronics, Solid state smart-grid, Solar PV, Smart-grid transceivers, Sensors
The semiconductor value chain
The industry consists of a complex web of interdependent entities, each representing a uniquely valuable part of the overall supply chain and contributing to end market value. UK companies are involved across the whole, supporting jobs and valuable exports. The industry, and the competition, is global and the value built at each stage is dependent on the stage before. The overall ecosystem is symbiotic, with innovation and business often growing from cross sector collaboration.
Technology and economic value increases from initial innovation (e.g. in university), through component development (the chip) to a system level solution (chip + other essential hardware and software). Even without manufacturing the actual chip, the companies which sell chip-based system solutions to end-market product developers enjoy significant growth and value creation.
Each element listed above exhibit different market dynamics, regional strengths and numbers of players. However, they all interoperate to align on common technology roadmaps and shared business growth.
EDA Tools: Software used to design, validate and prepare devices for manufacture.
Intellectual Property (IP): Licensable commonly used circuit building blocks for integrating into chips.
Chip Design: The design, validation, prototyping and testing of a device, ready for production. Note: Fabless companies design and sell semiconductors but outsource their fabrication to a foundry.
Fabrication: The manufacturing of devices (diced from wafers) from a design. Two models exist:
Integrated Design & Manufacture (IDM): Design and manufacturing occurs in one organisation.
Foundry: Outsourced manufacture of devices for multiple (fabless) chip companies.
Packaging: Encapsulating the raw silicon chips into packages for end-product integration.
Fab Equipment Supplier: Development and supply of the equipment used to manufacture devices.
Publications
Discover all about our campaigns and whitepapers.
