The Government will spend nearly a million pounds investigating how to improve the UK semi-conductor industry.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is commissioning a research project to look into the feasibility of new national initiatives to “tackle shared challenges and help businesses scale up”.
The study will consider how to grow chip design start-ups and testing facilities as well as bring together industry, customers and government to address shared challenges.A new national institution could be established as part of plans to boost the infrastructure underpinning the UK’s industry through the Government’s upcoming semiconductor strategy.
The strategy will aim to unlock the full potential of British microchip businesses, support jobs and skills to grow the UK’s domestic industry and ensure a reliably supply of semiconductors. The study will look at whether better access to prototyping and manufacturing facilities for chip firms is needed to tackle barriers to innovation and grow the industry. It will also cover opportunities to make specialist software tools more available for start-ups and ways to develop cutting-edge packaging processes, the point in the supply chain where chips are prepared for use.
It will also examine how to improve infrastructure in industry coordination, silicon prototyping, manufacturing for compound semiconductors, advanced packaging and intellectual property. The invitation to tender is live on The Crown Commercial Service.