From May 15-18, 2023, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) will host the second edition of the Semiconductor Future Forum, which brings together a number of ministers and a group of local and international experts, researchers, and investors. To discuss the future of the semiconductor economy in the Kingdom, and to discuss strategies for localizing this industry and expanding local expertise in this field.
The Forum, which is organized by the Research, Development and Innovation Development Authority, in cooperation with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and KAUST University, is chaired by Dr. Mounir Al-Desouki, the head of the city supervising the establishment of the Research, Development and Innovation Authority, and Dr. Tony Chan, the university president.
Participating in the forum are the Minister of Investment, Engineer Khaled Al-Falih, Professor of Materials at the University of California Santa Barbara, Professor Shuji Nakamura, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014, whose invention of LED technology became the basis for energy-saving lighting technology today, as well as representatives from NEOM. And “Lucid”, and Saudi universities, and many other distinguished institutions and institutes.
Dr. Mounir Al-Dasouki stressed that the semiconductor industry requires investment in research, development and innovation to achieve the Kingdom’s ambitious vision in technical progress and growth in this vital field to create an innovation-based economy, adding that the forum contributes to advancing the Kingdom’s ambitions and strengthening its projects in the field of semiconductors, as we have the skills We have the necessary and firm will, and we have a network of specialized resources to provide high-quality advanced industries.
For his part, Dr. Tony Chan explained that the Kingdom is taking its first steps to global leadership in the field of digital revolution, as is its influential leadership in the field of energy in the world, through the localization of research and manufacture of sensors, electronic chips, photovoltaic cells, and other semiconductor components.
The annual Semiconductor Forum is an important hub for the localization of the semiconductor industry in the Kingdom, and the qualification of human cadres in the field of its design and production, in line with the efforts of KACST and KAUST, which devote their research, resources and specialized facilities to the manufacture and development of electronic chips.
The agenda of the forum includes many scientific activities such as lectures, panel discussions, research posters, and field tours to the various laboratories at KAUST. connectors.
The Semiconductor Future Forum, in its second edition, is sponsored by leading local and international institutions and companies such as Invest in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco, Ajlan & Brothers Company, Bain & Company, Joule, Oxford Instruments, Synopsys, Thermofisher, and Trecel Tech. Those interested can register for the forum and view its programs. And his interlocutor by visiting the website: https://semiconductors.kaust.edu.sa The event can also be followed directly by visiting the broadcast link: https://kaust.link/Dn6f.
The second edition of the forum comes as a result of the great success of the first forum, which was held at the headquarters of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in March 2022, and culminated in the launch of the Saudi Semiconductor Program (SSP), which is the first of its kind in the region to support research and development and qualify human cadres in the field of electronic chip design and localization. It was joined by 16 Saudi universities, where the program was able to develop the first experimental process for manufacturing electronic chips for educational purposes, and more than 120 researchers and students were trained on manufacturing processes in three different tracks aimed at developing local competencies in semiconductor manufacturing technologies, and the program is currently operating. We are building partnerships with global factories to provide advanced microchip prototyping service to beneficiaries.
