Tech companies forge commercial links at SEMICON Taiwan
UK innovation in demand as Taiwanese corporations seek to consolidate global chip leadership
Cutting-edge UK technology was in the spotlight at this month’s SEMICON Taiwan expo. The British Office in Taipei arranged for 24 UK innovators to attend, while the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme team secured 31 matchmaking meetings for seven of these with major Taiwanese semiconductor companies including TSMC, Winbond, MediaTek, Foxconn, Powertech, Delta Electronics and Chipbond.
The official delegation of UK companies – double the number which attended last year – exhibited within a ‘UK Pavilion’ at the event, organised by the British Office in Taipei, the UK Government’s representative body in Taiwan.
The meetings for seven of these companies were facilitated by the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme, which is funded by the UK Department for Business & Trade to provide free and subsidised support for companies wishing to expand in Asia Pacific. The Programme is delivered on behalf of the government by international business consultancy Intralink.
The seven UK companies were:
IceMOS Technology – Belfast-based developers of SOI (silicon on insulator) wafers and MEMS SJMOSFETS (micro-electromechanical systems super junction metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors)
Loadpoint – Swindon-headquartered manufacturers of precision air-bearing and dicing technologies essential for producing silicon wafers and advanced optics
Gorilla Technology Group – London-based specialists in AI-driven technologies for sectors including smart cities, transportation and healthcare
ipTEST – Guildford-based innovators in high volume production testers for all types of discrete power semiconductors
Quantum Science – Warrington-headquartered pioneers of infrared quantum dot technology for fields including electric vehicles, drones and smartphone cameras
Smartkem – Manchester-based developers of organic semiconductor materials that enable display manufacturers to produce a new generation of lower-cost, higher performing displays
Thermco Systems – Sussex-based makers of specialised semiconductor production equipment including horizontal diffusion furnaces and expitaxial reactors.
Rami Zakaria, VP of Sales & Marketing at IceMOS Technology Corporation, said: “Taiwan is one of the most important regions for our business in terms of supply chain and customers, and SEMICON Taiwan provided an exceptional opportunity to explore new business opportunities in its thriving semiconductor industry.
“The exhibition, pavilion and other activities created a fantastic environment for networking and helped us uncover valuable openings for growth in Taiwan. We established important business partnerships with several companies and gained contacts at major electronics manufacturers.”
Steve Tillman, General Manager at Loadpoint, said: “I’ve attended many exhibitions, but I’ve never had access to the senior level of visitors from globally-prestigious semiconductor organisations that we had at SEMICON Taiwan. As well as having senior passers-by, the targeted meetings were well structured and a good fit with the way we can serve the Taiwanese market.”
SEMICON Taiwan, held in Taipei from 4-6 September, attracted more than 85,000 delegates from the global semiconductor industry this year.
His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific, Martin Kent, also launched the latest report from the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme at the expo. Titled ‘Northeast Asia’s Semiconductor Market’, the report examines the chip industry in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, highlighting opportunities for UK companies and providing advice on entering these markets. It is available for free download here.
The UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme helps UK tech companies expand in South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, as well as Taiwan. Intralink’s teams on the ground in Asia Pacific identify participants’ business opportunities, provide market entry advice and help them sell their products, forge partnerships and raise investment.
UK companies interested in joining the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme can apply here.
techUK International Policy and Trade Programme activities
techUK supports members with their international trade plans and aspirations. We help members to understand market opportunities, tackle market access barriers, and build partnerships in their target market. Visit the programme page here.
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Sabina Ciofu is Associate Director – International, running the International Policy and Trade Programme at techUK.
Based in Brussels, she leads our EU policy and engagement. She is also our lead on international trade policy, with a focus on digital trade chapter in FTAs, regulatory cooperation as well as broader engagement with the G7, G20, WTO and OECD.
As a transatlanticist at heart, Sabina is a GMF Marshall Memorial fellow and issue-lead on the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, within DigitalEurope.
Previously, she worked as Policy Advisor to a Member of the European Parliament for almost a decade, where she specialised in tech regulation, international trade and EU-US relations.
Sabina loves building communities and bringing people together. She is the founder of the Gentlewomen’s Club and co-organiser of the Young Professionals in Digital Policy. Previously, as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, she led several youth civic engagement and gender equality projects.
She sits on the Advisory Board of the University College London European Institute, Café Transatlantique, a network of women in transatlantic technology policy and The Nine, Brussels’ first members-only club designed for women.
Sabina holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London and a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.
Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Daniel Clarke
Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Dan joined techUK as a Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade in March 2023.
Before techUK, Dan worked for data and consulting company GlobalData as an analyst of tech and geopolitics. He has also worked in public affairs, political polling, and has written freelance for the New Statesman and Investment Monitor.
Dan has a degree in MSc International Public Policy from University College London, and a BA Geography degree from the University of Sussex.
Outside of work, Dan is a big fan of football, cooking, going to see live music, and reading about international affairs.
Policy and Public Affairs - Team Assistant, techUK
Oliver Alderson
Policy and Public Affairs - Team Assistant, techUK
Oliver is the team assistant for the Policy and Public Affairs teams, joining techUK in November of 2023. He assists the teams admistrative support, communication, and event production.
Prior to working at techUK, Oliver studied at Swansea and Bristol universities, attaining a masters in Policy Research. During this time he competed in debating competitions around the country where he discussed and deliberated various policy issues. Between his studies Oliver acted as a student assistant in mental health research for the SMaRteN student network.
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