By Danial Dzulkifly
SHAH ALAM, April 15 — The plans to establish an integrated circuit (IC) design hub in Selangor are in place as part of the state administration’s efforts to expand Malaysia’s semiconductor industry, said Ng Sze Han.
Following a recent trade visit to several of China’s tech-savvy cities and Hong Kong, the state executive councillor for investment, trade, and mobility said the move is a step forward in creating a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem, and hinted that more announcements on the industry expansion are expected soon.
“Selangor will be stepping forward to build a more complete semiconductor ecosystem in the country by setting up an IC design hub, which houses a few hundred IC design engineers.
“Stay tuned for more exciting announcements soon,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
During the six-day trade visit, Ng said Selangor engaged with semiconductor industry players in the cities of Suzhou and Shenzen, as well as in Hong Kong, where they were encouraged to invest in the state.
“In a short six-day visit, we traveled from Suzhou to Shenzhen and lastly to Hong Kong. We attended 21 meetings, as well as engaged with 16 semiconductor companies and ten agencies,” he said.
Previously, during the State Legislative Assembly sitting, Ng said the Selangor government will unveil its plan to develop the semiconductor industry in the state.
The strategy, which will be announced by Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, will focus on semiconductor manufacturing and include its design aspects.
Similarly, Amirudin said the state government’s position will focus on the semiconductor industry this year in a bid to enhance its economy and better compete against countries in Southeast Asia.
Selangor is embarking on a strategic move to attract more businesses involved in the industry to invest in the state amid the ongoing trade tensions between China and the United States.
He added that the state government is currently engaging in discussions with industry players from both China and Taiwan to realise this goal.
