Dec 15 – SEMI’s annual semiconductor trade show and conference—SEMICON Southeast Asia 2022—will take place in Setia SPICE Arena & Convention Centre in Penang, Malaysia from June 21 to 23. Themed Forward as One—Building A Resilient and Sustainable Electronics Supply Chain in Southeast Asia, SEMICON SEA 2022 will shine a spotlight on the supply chain disruptions that have battered the semiconductor industry, as well as an increased emphasis on environmental and sustainability challenges that industry players need to grapple with.

A confluence of factors is impacting the entire semiconductor value chain – from shortages in talent and workforce, extending to equipment and materials. With disruptions to the supply chain expected to persist into 2022, leading players in the semiconductor industry are increasingly looking to strengthen their business resiliency and continuity through the adoption of advanced technologies.

“Disruption, business resiliency and agility have been the industry buzzwords this year, and that will continue well into the next,” said Ms Linda Tan, newly appointed President of SEMI Southeast Asia. “The shortages across every single touch point in the semiconductor value chain will inadvertently snowball into longer lead times for chip production if the industry sticks to the current status quo. We are hopeful that the insightful discussions at SEMICON SEA 2022 around resiliency will shed light into best practices and culminate into concrete solutions to cope with the supply chain challenges.”

At the same time, the topic of sustainability has risen to the top of the agenda for companies across all industries. The promise of technology breakthroughs is only made possible by advancements in memory and storage solutions, but this requires new manufacturing equipment, materials and processing technologies, which intensifies the overall operational footprint. Semiconductor companies understand the crucial role they play in spearheading sustainability efforts, integrating green management into their operations, collaborating on green initiatives within the industry, and committing to environmental sustainability goals.

Tan continues, “On one hand, microchip innovation presents opportunities to overcome the world’s toughest sustainability challenges, with improved energy-saving and efficient chips to power our devices and machines. On the other, the industry is fighting an uphill battle in reducing the energy and resources required to manufacture these chips. We are excited for the next edition of SEMICON SEA to become the platform for leaders and experts in the semiconductor ecosystem to come together and share their vision on how the industry can forge a greener path in its manufacturing journey.”

“In 2022, Penang will be celebrating a phenomenal milestone – its 50^th Year of Manufacturing Excellence, heralded with the establishment of the 8 Samurais. Banking on an outstanding performance that has been built on decades of industrial experience, Penang, known as the Silicon Valley of the East, has successfully moved up the value chain. Having SEMICON SEA back in Penang next year is very apt for our 50^th anniversary celebration and we look forward to it,” said Dato’ Loo Lee Lian, CEO of Invest-in-Penang.

During the three-day conference, attendees at SEMICON SEA 2022 can look forward to a robust lineup of activities and discussions from experts and thought leaders from semiconductor companies across the world, including topics around supply chain diversification; Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG); leveraging renewable energy sources; green factories; and agility and intelligence in manufacturing systems.

SEMICON SEA 2022 will also be complemented by tracks focused on the semiconductor industry’s workforce, covering important aspects such as diversity, equity and inclusion. Career fairs and talks that address issues around talent development and retention will also be discussed.

Source: EE Times Asia