SEMI's chipmaker support campaign pays off

LONDON, UK: Europe seems to be waking up to Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International's (SEMI) campaign for greater recognition of, and support for, chip manufacturing in the region.

According to the European division of the top industry body, on September 23, it is expected that the European Commission's Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry will produce a communication recognizing the importance of "Enabling High-Tech" industries.

This is foreseen as a big win for the SEMI campaign. It is a known fact that SEMI has been campaigning for greater recognition of, and support for, chip manufacturing in Europe.

A number of elements including one-to-one meetings with Members of the European Parliament; organization of a site visit for 20 bureaucrats from the European Commission to the IMEC R&D center at Leuven, Belgium; sponsorship of a seminar to the European Commission by Malcolm Penn of Future Horizons were all part of the campaign that SEMI kicked off a while ago.

It had been pointed out by SEMI that the European manufacturing base was on a shrinking mode with companies kicking off outsourcing device manufacturing to other regions, particularly to the Asian region.

Data was also made available by the industry body on R&D funding, workforce development programs and favorable regulatory environment, that governments in other regions offer, said a report.

In this context, SEMI is now calling upon the European Union and the member states to develop a pan-European policy for the semiconductor industry. It has called for a review the state aid rules and provide public support for manufacturing in the form of public loans with favorable interest rates, direct incentives, business and corporate tax exemptions and subsidies for land, building, facilities and utilities.