Top national and international experts from the microelectronic and photonic chip industry have gathered at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) to discuss the present and future of the sector during the Micronanofabs NTC-PERTE CHIP Conference held at the UPV's Ciudad Politecnica de la Innovación (Polytechnic City of Innovation).
In addition to the presentation of the new capabilities of Micronanofabs NTC-UPV by its director, Javier Martí, there were two round tables and a talk by María Marced, president in Europe of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the largest chip manufacturer in the world.
While acknowledging that this year has been "a bit difficult", Marced cleared up any doubts about the future of the industry: "The market has contracted as a result of the exacerbated growth of the last three years. COVID made everyone work at home, which boosted the consumption of PCs, tablets, mobiles, etc. That's why we have this situation of contraction, but the sector's future is bright. In fact, the market is expected to double by 2030. Why? Because the whole industry is embarking on digitalisation and semiconductors are the fuel for it.
Along these lines, Javier Martí emphasized the importance of Micronanofabs NTC UPV, a unique scientific and technological infrastructure (ICTS) created in 2014 and funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities that has been working in the ecosystem of photonic chips "long before it was recognized as an ICTS".
"What we do," said Martí, "is to offer services both to universities/research centers and, more and more recently, to companies that ask us to manufacture chips. There is a need, because the manufacture of this type of technology is costly, and we are an open infrastructure that offers services and dynamizes the photonic chip ecosystem to promote its growth, both scientifically and industrially.
For his part, Jaime Martorell, special commissioner of PERTE CHIP, highlighted INGLES's growth in the sector, as well as the opportunities that are opening up mainly in the field of photonics and quantum technologies.
"It is an area that we must promote and that is what PERTE CHIP is for, to help develop our ecosystem and put us on the same level as markets such as the United States and Asia. This is a global market and we have to strengthen our manufacturing capabilities and, above all, our development capabilities in certain technologies so that, although we are part of this global ecosystem, we are not dependent on other countries," he concluded.
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