The United Kingdom on Friday announced a billion dollar investment to boost its domestic chipmaking capabilities and prevent future disruption on the supply chain.
Up to £1 billion ($1.24 billion) will be provided to the semiconductor industry in the U.K. as part of a 20-year strategy on semiconductors, which would help the U.K. secure its chip supplies and protect against national security risks.
To support this strategy, the government will ramp up cooperation with international partners. The British recently made a deal with Japan to boost collaboration on defense and semiconductors.
In the first three years (2023-25), the British government will invest up to £200 million and will push it up to £1 billion in the next decade.
“Our new strategy focuses our efforts on where our strengths lie, in areas like research and design, so we can build our competitive edge on the global stage,” said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “By increasing the capabilities and resilience of our world-leading semiconductor industry, we will grow our economy, create new jobs and stay at the forefront of new technological breakthroughs.”
U.K. officials stated that they would not invest heavily on large fabrication plants like Taiwan’s TSMC to produce the most advanced chips, instead, they will focus on other parts, such as intellectual property and design and producing non-silicon chips.
