The UK government has approved £16.6m of funding to support semiconductor research for electric vehicles (EVs) and clean energy.
Announced on Thursday, the funding will be delivered by Innovate UK as part of the £1bn semiconductor strategy announced last year.
The tech department aims to give researchers and businesses in the field access to new equipment to test new chips.
Of the new funding, £14m will go towards semiconductors used in “power electronics”, notably EVs and manufacturing equipment. This will largely go towards businesses and researchers in Newcastle and Strathclyde.
“New innovations in the way we package up semiconductors have the potential to transform whole industries and vastly improve consumer devices, all while driving long-term economic growth,” said Tech Minister Saqib Bhatti.
“This investment in open-access technology will make sure British researchers have the tools they need to rapidly turn semiconductor science into business reality, all while making hugely energy-intensive sectors more sustainable.”
The funding will also support increased automation in the assembly process.
“It is exciting to see the breadth of activity in semiconductor packaging as well as electric machine validation and manufacturing,” said Innovate UK executive director for net-zero Mike Biddle.
“The majority of this investment is strategically aligned with the National Semiconductor Strategy and helps grow the high-value post-wafer capabilities within the UK.”
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