Melexis in 2023 announced a significant expansion in Sarawak, with the company committing to a 70 million euro ($74.5 million) investment for facility expansion in Kuching. The five-year project is to double production capacity and meet anticipated semiconductor demand. Recent trade data underscores Malaysia's critical role in the semiconductor supply chain. The country accounts for approximately 7% of global semiconductor trade. The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation reported that the country exported Euro 112.7 billion ($120.5 billion) worth of electrical and electronic products in 2023, mostly to the U.S. and European Union. The industry contributes around a quarter of the country's gross domestic product, according to Liew Chin Tong, Malaysia's deputy minister for investment, trade and industries. In Sarawak, the state's foray into semiconductors began with 1st Silicon, established in 1991 within the Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone, in the state capital of Kuching. It specialized in producing silicon wafers, a critical component in the semiconductor manufacturing process. The turning point came in 2006 when it was acquired by Germany's X-Fab Silicon Foundries, a German semiconductor foundry group focusing on analog and mixed-signal semiconductor solutions. X-Fab in the next few years will continue to invest up to 100 million euros to increase wafer production capacity from 30,000 wafers a month to 40,000-50,000 a month by 2030. Shariman said the government has also committed to adding 3.5 megawatts to the power grid by 2027 to cater to the increase in workload demand as part of the expansion in Sama Jaya. Japan's Taiyo Yuden is one of Sama Jaya's largest electronics manufacturers. Employing more than 4,600 people, it primarily produces multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC), critical components in smartphones, computers and other consumer gadgets. According to Taiyo Yuden, 30% of MLCCs used in smartphones globally are supplied by the group, and 15% of those components are made in Sarawak. The 8.19 square kilometer Sama Jaya High Tech Park has attracted more than Euro 2.74 billion of investments, creating more than 15,000 local jobs over the years, Abang Johari Openg, the state's premier, said during the inauguration of Taiyo Yuden's new factory in October. Sama Jaya is also home to major multinational corporations such as Western Digital's HGST in glass and aluminum substrates, China's LONGi in solar ingots, wafers, cells and modules, as well as South Korea's Lotte EM, which makes copper foil used in batteries for electric vehicles. "Sarawak's semiconductor industry," Shariman said, "is a prime investment opportunity." (ICE KUALA LUMPUR)

Fonte notizia: 24 maggio 2024, Kuala Lumpur