The 5 research pillars of Singapore’s microelectronics initiative

These pillars need to be supported as a collective effort, said EDB senior vice president for semiconductors Terrence Gan.

There are five research pillars for Singapore's long-term microelectronics development goals, said Terrence Gan, senior vice president for semiconductors of the Economics Development Board in a speech 24 August. 

"We have identified five microelectronics research pillars for Singapore for the  medium  to  long  term  –  heterogeneous  integration,  millimetre  wave  and  beyond  for  future communications, novel architectures for edge AI, wide bandgap  semiconductors for next generation power electronics and RF and piezoelectric MEMS," Gan said.

He added that these pillars need to be supported as a collective effort by all stakeholders.

"To be successful, we cannot do this alone. We need to have global partnerships and build communities, to tap on the strengths of each partner. The five microelectronics
research pillars will be a big collective effort, involving materials suppliers, chip designers, manufacturers, equipment OEMs, universities and research labs. We
welcome you to join us," Gan said.

Bolstered by a $25b research and development budget for the next five years, Gan said the Lion City is poised to be a global tech and innovation hub. Steady and sustained investments, Gan noted, is also a key pillar in Singapore's economic development.

"Today, in Singapore, we are doing R&D on wafer to wafer and chip to wafer bonding, hybrid bonding, and chiplet packaging. But these are possible because of 25 years of learning, from when we set up the first Electronic Packaging Research Consortium in 1996," Gan said.

The EDB's goal for Singapore's semiconductor industry is for it to grow as fast as the global industry.