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UK microchip supply has failed.

 

British businesses are "at risk" because the government has failed to set a coherent blueprint for a microchip supply industry, according to a critical report from the influential cross-party business select committee of MPs. A semiconductor strategy was due this autumn from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It added that Britain is also missing out on inward investment and falling behind other governments taking the issue more seriously. Semiconductors are the brains of modern electronics, vital for everything from consumer products to healthcare and cars.

The crisis in the UK industry, from continuing uncertainty over the ownership of the technology firm Arm Holdings to government intervention over China's links to the chip manufacturer Newport Wafer Fab, has thrust the lack of a strategy into the spotlight. Globally, the industry is worth more than $500 billion and is expected to be more than $1 trillion by 2030. The UK, meanwhile, is racing to prevent supply disruptions from geopolitical disputes such as the tensions between China and Taiwan, a key semiconductor producer. In recent months, the US and the EU announced they were putting $53 billion and €43 billion behind growing their own industries.

Europe plans to produce 20 per cent of the world's semiconductors by 2030 as opposed to 8 per cent today. In this race for chip dominance, the US has gone a step further and banned exports to China that could help it develop advanced semiconductor technology. South Wales has a cluster of sophisticated compound semiconductor businesses and research centres. It said the primary responsibility for these "essential ingredients" should be clarified and should lie with the department for business as it is responsible for industrial strategy rather than the digital department or other government areas.

At a time when the EU and US have both announced substantial state investment in the sector, there is a palpable sense of frustration at the delay in the UK's strategy.

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Comments

  1. Christine28 November 2022 at 14:25

    Why is the UK delay this? It's such an important area today so why isn't the UK devoting a lot more resources to this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeremy28 November 2022 at 14:54

      It's either because they just don't know what to do or can't make up their minds as to which is the right course of action or it's because some are receiving money from other Governments (China, etc) to not invest heavily in this sector. It could be all of these or just 1 or 2.

      Delete
    2. Aaron28 November 2022 at 16:21

      They are just incompetents and too many of them are working in cozy jobs in the Government. The world is fighting to find a way to increase production of microchips and the UK is just waiting around to see what happens. It's unbelievable!

      Delete
    3. Jeremy28 November 2022 at 17:05

      Yes, I agree. There are many of them just wasting time, not doing much to move the needle. It’s not just our leaders that are at fault. We are all to blame because we keep voting them into office and accepting things like Brexit to go along which is and will bring many more bad things/changes for us all.

      Delete

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