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UK government approves £16.6m funding for semiconductor research to support EVs and clean energy.
The UK government has approved £16.6 million of funding to fund semiconductor research on electric vehicles (EVs) and clean energy technologies. The funding was announced yesterday and is part of a £1 billion strategy in semiconductor launched last year to ensure the UK has a strong place in the global semiconductor market, thus enhancing the technological capabilities. Innovate UK-the government agency tasked with driving innovation-will award the funding to researchers and businesses working on semiconductor technology.
£14 million of funding will be awarded to semiconductors as used in power electronics, mainly directed towards applications into electric vehicles and manufacturing equipment. This funding benefits businesses and the research institutions specifically in Newcastle and Strathclyde, which will be targeted through this investment: they are important hubs for research into semiconductors throughout the UK.
According to Saqib Bhatti, the minister in charge of technology, semiconductor innovation might transform industries and even consumer electronics and have long-term economic impacts. One hopes funding shall be accessible for researchers and firms in order to research and develop new chips that could transform energy-intensive sectors and bring them closer to sustainability.
Besides that, funding will be invested in work to further automate the semiconductor assembly process. Innovation UK executive director for net-zero, Mike Biddle, described the depth of activity in semiconductor packaging and electric machine validation as exciting, given it aligns with the UK's National Semiconductor Strategy.
This investment is a strategic move to boost the UK's semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, particularly in post-wafer processing, and to support the country's ambitions to become a global leader in clean energy and EV technologies. The funding is seen as a key step in the UK's efforts to meet its sustainability goals and build a resilient, high-tech economy.
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