SEMI Southeast Asia

As the semiconductor industry continues to evolve, successful workforce development initiatives are becoming increasingly essential. In Malaysia, around 60,000 new engineers are needed to support the country’s plans for industry growth. However, despite the rising need for new engineering talent, student interest for STEM in Malaysia is declining. Women in particular, are even less likely to consider careers in engineering fields than their male counterparts, and this holds true worldwide. One reason is due to gender biases that form around STEM in early childhood. The Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology found that boys are more likely to consider themselves “good” at STEM, and this stereotype is later reinforced by male dominance within STEM classes. To mitigate the talent shortage, and to encourage more young women to consider STEM careers, STMicroelectronics created its "STEM your way" initiative. This program supports STEM education throughout Malaysia, as well as all other countries that STMicroelectronics operates in. Through STEM your way, STMicroelectronics shares its passion for science and electronics with today’s primary and high school students. Over the last three years, STEM your way has reached nearly 70,000 students globally. To address the STEM gender disparity in Malaysia, SEMI Southeast Asia (SEA) has been proudly collaborating with STMicroelectronics since 2023 on its ST Maur GEMS program, as part of STEM your way. The girls in engineering, mathematics, and science (GEMS) program is foundational for developing future engineering talent and sparking STEM interest among female students. One of SEMI SEA’s first GEMS program initiatives was a “train-the-trainers” session, where SEMI SEA representatives shared creative approaches for teaching STEM-focused course material. This involved the use of Circuit Scribe and Micro:bit Smart Science IoT kits to make lessons tactile, engaging, and memorable. These interactive teaching aids form the basis of a “STEM kit,” and as of today, SEMI SEA and STMicroelectronics have sponsored roughly 200 kits. These efforts culminated in December 2024 during the GEMS IoT Challenge at Universiti Technikal Malaysia Melaka, where 68 students from 17 primary schools showcased their innovative projects. Students demonstrated their technical knowledge and creativity by coupling Micro:bit IoT kits with AI cameras, Wi-Fi modules, servomotors, and more, with the intention of solving day-to-day problems. Posters of students’ solutions at the IoT ChallengeWith the collaborative success of the ST Maur GEMS program, SEMI SEA is excited to help scale the challenge to include additional countries. To partner with SEMI SEA to bring STEM education opportunities to Southeast Asia, please contact Cecelia Fong at [email protected]. SEMI Southeast Asia ContactCecelia Fong, Technology Programs ManagerEmail: [email protected]

SEMI Southeast Asia continues to implement workforce development initiatives to strengthen the region's position as a global manufacturing hub. SEMI launched the global SEMI University online learning management system in February.

AEM Holdings Ltd, a Singapore-based multinational corporation, is listed in Forbes Asia’s 200 Best Under A Billion 2019 and 2020 spotlighting small and midsized companies in the Asia-Pacific region with sales under $1 billion. AEM clinched the Singapore Business Review Technology Excellence Award 2020 for Analytics-Semiconductor and the Singapore Business Awards Enterprise Award 2019/2020. These achievements are testament to AEM’s vision and innovation and the company’s contributions to the increasingly complex testing of chips in a rapidly evolving technological world. I spoke with AEM CEO Chandran Nair, a new Regional Advisory Board (RAB) member of SEMI Southeast Asia, about the company’s intelligent test and handling solutions, its role in digital transformation, the company’s key role in the smart manufacturing movement and the growth prospects for Singapore’s electronics sector. SEMI: AEM’s application-specific, intelligent system test and handling solutions for semiconductor and electronics companies serve the advanced computing, 5G and AI markets. How do you differentiate your solutions from those offered by competitors? Nair: A key differentiation for AEM is that we work closely with our customers to develop application-specific integrated test and handling solutions that meet their needs in a scalable manner from lab to production. We offer our customers customized, full-stack test and handling solutions that give them the agility to accelerate their delivery cycles and enhance product quality. Over the years, AEM has developed and acquired world-class technologies in instrumentation, test, automation, robotics, optical inspection, high-end thermal control, and software. These technology pillars, along with our deep know-how to customize test and handling solutions using the technology pillars as a platform, enable AEM to meet the fast-changing needs of our customers faced with the challenges of testing heterogeneous and complex devices. In addition to investing in technology, AEM has also invested in delivering application-specific solutions to meet customer demand. Our recently announced acquisition of CEI with its manufacturing capabilities in Vietnam and its specialization in low-volume, high-mix manufacturing increases our geographical reach and our ability to quickly turn application-specific test and handling solutions to be deployed. We have a unique and differentiated approach that enables our customers to test high-performance computing devices, automotive devices, and mobility devices with maximum test coverage, cost-effectively, in a manufacturing environment. Our experience in serving the high-performance computing market that traditionally drives advancements in thermal control also puts us at the forefront of delivering comprehensive thermal management, vision, and deep automation and test solutions for the computing, automotive, and mobility markets. AEM also has a strong instrumentation portfolio, including high-density digital instruments and mixed-signal and protocol-aware instrumentation that is well-suited for ATE solutions for SoC, high-power devices, and CMOS image sensors. Over the last few years, we have also established leadership positions in developing and deploying application-specific test solutions for MEMS devices and offering wafer and frame probing stations suitable for R D, wafer sort, and final test. We form strong partnerships with our customers, provide them with end-to-end support in product development, and take them through the entire life cycle process from concept to mass production. Chandran Nair and Goh Meng Klang, vice president of operations, at the AEM manufacturing site in Singapore. (Photo credit: AEM) SEMI: Digital transformation is powering strong growth of advanced computing, 5G and AI. Will AEM be expanding its AEM manufacturing plants in China, Malaysia and Singapore to meet rising demand for these technologies in the coming years? Nair: In regards to manufacturing, AEM currently has manufacturing facilities in Singapore, Malaysia, the U.S., Finland, and China. With our recently announced acquisition of CEI, we will add manufacturing capability in Vietnam and Indonesia. AEM will continue to expand manufacturing appropriately to give our customers cost-effective solutions while maintaining our proven track record of delivering on time and scaling rapidly in times of crises like the pandemic or geopolitical disruptions. As for advanced technologies, the three key factors that will bring the full potential of 5G to fruition are 1) cost-effective, high-powered processing devices at the edge, 2) easy access to high-bandwidth communications, and 3) cost-effective sensor technology. Semiconductors are the primary drivers of these three key success factors. As devices become more complex and our reliance on semiconductor-powered devices in all aspects of our lives deepens exponentially to include mission-critical applications, AEM’s role is to ensure that our customers' electronic and semiconductor devices are shipped thoroughly tested, safe to use, and highly reliable. It is imperative that, as a testing company, we find innovative ways to help our customers test their products with maximum coverage and minimum cost. To do this, we are focusing our R D efforts and investments to continue building on our key technology pillars to ensure that we stay ahead of the curve when it comes to test and handling solutions. We prepare our customers to test increasingly complex devices manufactured on the latest process node. SEMI: During your career you’ve driven projects in test and automation and more recently robotics solutions for ports, logistics warehouses and transport. With robotics and automation a key part of Industry 4.0, what role do AEM solutions play in powering the smart manufacturing movement? Nair: The smart manufacturing movement is powered by semiconductors, software and increasingly by artificial intelligence (AI). Test is at the heart of the process of ensuring that semiconductor and electronics devices reach the consumer well-tested for reliability. With our vision of enabling A Zero Failure World, AEM addresses the necessity for safe, highly reliable devices. The semiconductor companies themselves are adopting smart manufacturing methods. AEM’s tools are Industry 4.0-ready, and we continue to invest in machine learning and data analytics, which are integral to the future of test. Our tools are automated and feature embedded sensors to provide our customers with data about tool usage, the state of a machine’s health, and more. Our tools are connected to our customers’ manufacturing automation platforms. Additionally, we continue to invest in our ability to better slice and dice test data to understand trends and patterns to help our customers analyze data and make decisions faster. SEMI: You also have experience heading autonomous vehicle projects. With the COVID-19 pandemic hastening digital transformation, do you see an acceleration in the development of fully autonomous vehicles and smart manufacturing? Research and development efforts for autonomous vehicles (AV) continue at a fast pace worldwide. With shutdowns and restricted movement rules globally, the pandemic has hastened digital transformation in many ways. The delivery of goods and services is transforming, and AV will surely play a part, especially in secure environments for autonomous transport. The pandemic has accelerated the development of autonomous vehicles and smart manufacturing technology in automation-friendly environments like factories and ports. SEMI: At the recent Global Technology Summit hosted by SEMI, you spoke about testing innovations to meet the demands of highly complex devices. Please elaborate on innovative testing solutions versus traditional testing? Nair: AEM offers a disruptive and differentiated solution, one that is driving a paradigm shift to asynchronous, modular, highly parallel, smart testing solutions. ​ The traditional approach of ATEs to test increasingly complex devices on advanced nodes has reached a point of diminishing returns as it gets exponentially more expensive to increase test coverage to acceptable levels. Additionally, as devices get more complex and companies are rapidly adopting heterogeneous packaging technologies, the realization that System Level Test (SLT) is necessary is forcing a rethink of the entire test process. AEM’s provides asynchronous, modular, highly parallel test cell solutions that enable each test cell to run SLT, final test, or burn-in all in one system and its ability to handle hundreds of test cells independently with each test cell testing multiple devices. Our solutions suddenly make comprehensive testing of every complex device cost-effective. Freeing us from legacy ATE allows AEM to provide these innovative solutions to our customers. AEM engineering and manufacturing teams in Singapore at work on semiconductor test and handling systems for global deployment at world-class semiconductor facilities. (Photo credit: AEM) SEMI: Singapore seems to be in the sweet spot of digital transformation. Singapore’s industrial production grew 8.6% year-over-year in January 2021, an expansion driven mainly by a surge in sectors including electronics, and more growth is seen in the year ahead. Digital technologies such as 5G technology and cloud computing together with continued demand for work-from-home equipment is behind this growth. What are the growth prospects for the region’s electronics sector? Nair: Singapore is well-poised to benefit from the current digital transformation accelerated by the adoption of these technologies during the pandemic. Being a safe, well-governed country with strong IP protection, excellent infrastructure, and the rule of law, Singapore is in a great position to play a central role in cloud-based services, 5G, and the semiconductor industry. Singapore’s semiconductor sector output is at a record high, and the prospects for renewed growth in the region are very good. SEMI: As a new Regional Advisory Board member of SEMI Southeast Asia, how is your industry experience relevant to the scope of this role? What opportunities lie ahead for the region? Nair: I am honored to represent AEM in the SEMI’s Southeast Asia RAB. The SEMI RAB can influence policymakers with ideas and information on the current and future needs of the industry. I also believe that SEMI Southeast Asia can cultivate a strong innovative semiconductor ecosystem that helps regional and global growth. I look forward to working with other very experienced and accomplished board members. Bee Bee Ng is president of SEMI Southeast Asia.

Dr. Mousumi Bhat, senior director of External Manufacturing at Micron Technology and first female member of the SEMI Southeast Asia Regional Advisory Board, discusses her passion for sustainable business practices and her work driving the transformation of Micron’s manufacturing plant in Singapore.

Traditionally, defect classification is done manually by operators or using Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) machines, often leading to classification inconsistencies. Also, rules-based AOIs may at times be unable to fully satisfy project requirements due to the rigidity of inspection recipes. SixSense – Breaking the Status Quo with Artificial Intelligence Enter SixSense, an AI-powered defect classification software platform that has been making breakthroughs in defect detection and classification for semiconductors to make manufacturing smarter and more efficient. Founded in 2018, SixSense has already amassed a wealth of experience and chalked up a number of successes such as automating the manual image classification process, reducing manufacturing false rejects, and capturing escapees. Infineon Technologies and GlobalFoundries were amongst the early adopters of SixSense’s platform: classifAI. With Infineon, classifAI has allowed over-rejection rates to be precisely quantified. classifAI – Simple UI, Easy Usage, Powerful Models As a UI-based assistive software platform, classifAI, SixSense’s automated defect classification platform is built with the defect and yield engineer in mind. SixSense takes care of all the back-end complexities – such as coding, algorithm modelling and deployment – to enable end users to get started and use the platform with a simple GUI. The simplified end-to-end AI pipeline offered on the platform includes data labelling to make data AI-ready, model training, and model testing. Ultimately, models are deployed on the production floor for 24/7 inferencing of hundreds of millions of images every year, at scale, across processes, tools and sites. Machine learning models built by the SixSense team have seen strong results, with model accuracy of up to 98% in certain use cases. Track Record of delighting IDMs, Foundries and OSAT Customers SixSense has consistently solved visual inspection problems and enabled the success of IDMs, foundries and OSATs since its inception. The AI technology has helped a range of customers across 100mm-300mm wafer standards, both pure silicon and compound wafers, and caters to specific end-use market requirements such as RF and automotive. Partnerships between startups and established manufacturers are key to actualizing the value of AI in manufacturing. “Our collaboration with AI startup SixSense has enabled us to explore opportunities in yield gain, improving cycle time, and real-time monitoring of process shifts,” said Dato’ Tan Soo Hee, Executive Vice President, Global Backend Operations at Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific. “SixSense has been very attentive to the needs of our engineering team, addressing project requirements using a customer-first approach evident in the design of the intuitive software platform,” said Melvyn Peh, Principal Engineer, Automation-Scan-Pack, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific. The intelligent annotation module is one of many offered by SixSense, which uses AI to train AI and accelerate the data annotation process by focusing on the semiconductor-specific requirements. Another valuable module in classifAI is advanced analytics that capture the heatmap for defect distribution on the images. Images are stacked on top of each other, with the location of defects aggregated to provide the defect heatmap. Through this, systematic failure patterns were identified that allowed defect engineers to zero in on key sources of failure and assist in root-cause analysis. Infrastructure – Scale Fast, Adapt Quickly, Accelerate Value Creation In the dynamic world of technology, machine learning and AI projects must meet changing infrastructure demands. A cloud-first approach is often favored for the plethora of benefits it offers. “We’re looking forward to a great partnership with SixSense, treading together hand in hand exploring fresh ideas and possibilities,” said Manju Jalali, Vice President of digital manufacturing at GlobalFoundries, who oversees the company-wide roll out of classifAI. For use cases where on-premise deployments are preferred, SixSense offers such options for infrastructure integration, satisfying all possible infrastructure requirements in the market. Contributing to a vibrant innovation ecosystem SixSense was mentioned by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat during an event that marked Infineon’s 50th anniversary in Singapore: “I am heartened that Infineon will be investing more than $27 million over three years on an AI initiative in Singapore. Under this initiative, Infineon Singapore will be partnering academia, industry, and local startup SixSense AI to develop new AI solutions and courses.” Explosive Growth of AI in Chip Manufacturing According to a McKinsey Company report, AI contribution to semiconductor company earnings is projected to rise to between $85 billion and $95 billion per year in the coming years. SixSense has been taking great strides in creating value for their semiconductor customers. “SixSense offers tremendous value in a high-growth vertical in the semiconductor industry, marrying the latest deep learning algorithm with the compute power of the cloud,” said Rajan Rajgopal, CEO of DenseLight Semiconductor. “This leads to faster root-cause analysis that helps reduce the cost of non-conformance and improve quality.” Dominic Teo is Enterprise Business Development Representative at SixSense. He can be reached at [email protected].

SEMI is pleased to welcome Singapore-based UTAC Holdings Ltd., formed nearly 50 years ago, as a new member. UTAC is a leading independent provider of assembly and test services for a broad range of semiconductor chips, offering a full range of semiconductor assembly and test services across analog, mixed-signal and logic, and memory. Its customers are primarily fabless companies, integrated device manufacturers and wafer foundries. The company has production facilities in Singapore, Thailand, China, Indonesia and Malaysia as well as sales offices in five regions: the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, the rest of Asia and Europe.I recently spoke with Dr. Nathapong Suthiwongsunthorn, Vice President and General Manager of UTAC Thailand, about UTAC’s smart manufacturing advances, the company’s role in the semiconductor industry’s transformation, and the industry outlook for Thailand over the next year.Ng: How does UTAC Thailand complement your other facilities?Dr. Nathapong: As one of the world’s largest producers of quad-flat-no-leads (QFN), UTAC Thailand has significant capability in assembly and test of advanced leadframe products including power products such as Cu Clip packages as well as MEMS products. We also serve top global IDMs and have the largest share of assembly and test for the automotive market among all UTAC operations. UTAC’s other facilities have expertise in wafer-level packages and system-in-a-package and serves the communication and consumer market not only for IDMs but also for the fabless and foundry companies. The Thailand factory nicely complements the other UTAC facilities both from the standpoint of operational and marketing diversity. Ng: UTAC Holdings Ltd. announced in August this year that it has completed its sale to Wise Road Capital, a global private equity firm. Will this in any way change the operation and business strategy of UTAC Thailand?Dr. Nathapong: I don’t believe it will change the way we operate. However, the acquisition is very positive for us from a financial perspective. With the benefit of significantly reduced debt and interest expenses, we will be able to expand our business to grow with and hopefully beyond the semiconductor market. Ng: To what extent has UTAC adopted smart manufacturing?Dr. Nathapong: UTAC Thailand is leading the way in terms of automation, smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 with our in-house automation team and unique expertise. For example, we have built our own inspection equipment that is much faster and cheaper than what is commercially available. We also working on many programs such as mobile robot, AGV, auto inspection and office automation to help drive greater production efficiency. We are replicating our manufacturing advances and fanning them out to other UTAC facilities.UTAC Thailand Ng: What are some of the challenges you face in pushing for the industrial transformation in Thailand?Dr. Nathapong: I think the key challenge is to find skilled engineers who can perform hardware- and software-related tasks critical to the industrial transformation. But frankly, we have done a good job in managing this challenge by hiring very smart people, providing them with the required in-house training, and using outside training for new recruits as necessary. We have developed partnerships with capable vendors in this regard as well.Ng: What are the key differentiating elements (e.g. talent, tax, technology, trade, EHS) in Thailand that have been instrumental in supporting the E E ecosystem?Dr. Nathapong: There are two key differentiating elements for us. Firstly, UTAC has been around for over 47 years and is very well-established in Thailand with a positive reputation as an employer. This makes hiring talented people relatively easy. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the nature of the Thai people and also the benefits the company provides make it relatively painless to retain key employees. I also believe that we have a significant number of engineers available in Thailand. Finally, labour costs in Thailand are still very reasonable and stable. So we are able to acquire talent at a very competitive rate compared to other countries. Ng: What is the industry outlook for E E industry in Thailand over the next year?Dr. Nathapong: Surprisingly, the current sad predicament of COVID-19 has shown no negative impact for the global semiconductor industry – people seem to be buying more electronics with the lockdown. Our outlook for the Thailand’s E E industry is similarly very positive. Most semiconductor companies including UTAC see significant growth this year and I hope it will continue.Ng: With the recent semiconductor geopolitical and trade tensions, are more customers moving their business to Thailand?Dr. Nathapong: I believe so. We do see some of our key customers move manufacturing out of China and into Thailand. The relocations help them offset or avoid any potential fallout from current geopolitical tensions.Ng: In what areas do you think SEMI Southeast Asia can play a role to help our members companies in Thailand like UTAC?Dr. Nathapong: The semiconductor industry has been in Thailand for a long time. In fact, UTAC Thailand is 47 years old this year! However, I feel that Thailand never really worked with a strong establishment organization like SEMI that can connect various companies together to help drive innovation. I think SEMI Southeast Asia can truly help Thailand to move up to the next level of providing semiconductor solutions globally. We welcome SEMI Southeast Asia’s help in this regard.About Dr. Nathapong SuthiwongsunthornDr. Nathapong Suthiwongsunthorn joined UTAC in 2009 and is currently General Manager of UTAC Thailand, UTAC’s largest operation site. Before taking over the management of Thailand operations, he was Vice President of Research and Development, running UTAC’s global R D group. Dr. Nathapong has more than 20 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. He holds more than 40 international patents and publications in wafer-level and advanced packaging.Prior to joining UTAC, Dr. Nathapong held several key leadership positions in research and development at Schott, STATS ChipPAC and Infineon. Dr. Nathapong has a Ph.D. in Electronics Engineering from Oxford Brookes University, England.Bee Bee Ng is president of SEMI Southeast Asia.

Teck Khiong, WOI, senior manager of Factory Integration at Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, recently shared with me how the Infineon backend plant in Singapore has benefited from its journey to qualify for the lighthouse certification.WOI is driving Infinion smart manufacturing projects with a strong focus in the area of connect and control using IoT (Internet of Things) and analytics technologies. Ng: How did the Infineon backend plant in Singapore distinguish itself to qualify for lighthouse certification? WOI: The Infineon Singapore backend manufacturing plant is proud to be a Lighthouse Certified Smart Manufacturing site as part of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Fourth Industrial Revolution platform. Our Industry 4.0 (I4.0) implementation reduces labor costs by 30% and improves capital efficiency by 15%. We drove this successful digital transformation continuously investing in our people development and digital backbone.Of the many initiatives under our I4.0 Smart Factory platform, five were selected for WEF Lighthouse submission and certification. Digital foundation with integrated connectivity and workflow execution We implemented an Internet of Things (IoT) framework to connect machines to manufacturing system more than two years ago. The digitization of our Work-in-Progress (WIP) management systems provides full traceability and gives us better control of the four Ms (Man-Machine-Method-Material). Material handling and process automation We progressively deployed automated solutions starting six years ago using autonomous transport, robotic material management systems and automation of packing processes. This eliminated non-value touches in areas of WIP storage and retrieval. Advanced algorithms enabled WIP scheduling and dispatching As our product mix and volume grew in complexity, our advanced algorithms has enabled us to increase our machine uptime, thus reducing idle and set-up time. Manufacturing control tower Our control tower provides a real-time pulse of the entire manufacturing process, from machine efficiency to quality. The tower also improves data integrity and collaborative information sharing while issuing early-warning alerts that enable exception management and timely decisions. Running a global virtual factory Our Global Production Network deployments allows us to connect and manage a growing contract-manufacturing network in real time, with the same transparency, traceability and control as if the manufacturers are our internal sites.About Teck Khiong, WOITeck Khiong, WOI graduated from Loughborough University in the UK with a Master of Science degree in Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM). For more than 20 years he has delivered manufacturing IT solutions to global backend (assembly and test) semiconductor manufacturing, ranging from equipment, factory, process control, material handling automation and manufacturing execution systems (MES).

Making Strides TogetherKnowledge is power – especially when it is shared. This principle formed the foundation for Micron’s Go and See virtual visit of its Singapore manufacturing plant on 26 August 2020 as 27 companies including GLOBALFOUNDRIES, ST Microelectronics, Infineon, TEL, ViTrox , IBM, HP and UTAC joined the first-of-a-kind virtual factory visit. The chip industry powerhouses gathered to see how Micron’s Lighthouse frontend wafer fabrication facility leverages Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to drive new production and cost efficiencies.They saw clear markers of a transformed organisation and spoke with working-level staff, managers and front-line employees. Company representatives also met virtually with Micron management teams from organisations that led its digital transformation – from pilot programs to integration at scale – to realise significant financial and operational benefits. The mix of technologies they deployed to make it all happen included artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics and the Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT).Micron’s Singapore-based fab facility earned Lighthouse certification earlier this year from the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network. The Go and See tour was co-sponsored by SEMI Southeast Asia and McKinsey Company.Transformation is CrucialBy embracing Lighthouse principles, semiconductor sectors and companies can accelerate their digital transformation to boost operational and financial efficiency while helping increase productivity across the electronics supply chain. It will take time for Southeast Asia semiconductor manufacturers to transform to digital operations, though we’re seeing growing interest in Industry 4.0 practices as they begin to understand that the deployment of new technologies and applications will help them better understand real-world benefits of smart manufacturing use cases and solutions. SEMI believes shining the spotlight on companies like Micron can illuminate the way forward for other companies to help drive the industry’s digital transformation. We look forward to seeing companies build on this momentum as they start to leverage leading-edge technologies to improve efficiencies and promote sustainability.Bee Bee Ng is president of SEMI Southeast Asia.

Many companies are applying Fourth Industrial Revolution initiatives in manufacturing, though only a few have managed to successfully integrate the smart manufacturing technologies at a scale that allows them to realise significant economic and financial benefits.Known as lighthouse companies, these organisations have taken their smart manufacturing journeys from pilot to integration at scale, serving as beacons to others in overcoming challenges in their production systems through the adoption of leading-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing and advanced analytics.At the recent SEMI Southeast Asia webinar Journey to Recovery of the E E Industry, Dato' Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), spoke about building Malaysia’s very own Lighthouse Project comprising multinational corporations that will act as anchors to help guide local players into this new venture.During the webinar, Dato' Azman elaborated about Malaysia’s competitive edge – its diversified economic structure and government support. He said the key to sustaining this competitive edge, however, is that the Malaysian economy must be digitally empowered. The Lighthouse Project is one programme that will help achieve this objective. We are inspired and encouraged by this initiative. As firm believers in connecting and collaborating, SEMI Southeast Asia supports programmes that advance the entire microelectronics ecosystem. We look forward to seeing MIDA drive this project, and we encourage Malaysian E E companies to tap MIDA’s expertise in this field. Ultimately, we are confident that through this initiative and the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, Malaysia will be repositioned as a top global manufacturing nation. Bee Bee Ng is president of SEMI Southeast Asia.

Gursharan Singh, Micron’s senior vice president of Global Assembly and Test, spoke with us about the progress of Micron’s new facility in Penang, the company’s smart manufacturing advancements, its ongoing initiatives to hire and develop talent, and its support of the greater Malaysian community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Micron to Open Center of Excellence in PenangMicron’s 52.6-acre Center of Excellence for SSD assembly and test in Batu Kawan Industrial Park in Penang is slated to open in early 2021. Micron is investing RM1.5 billion over the next five years and has committed to adding 1,000 team members.“In parallel to the building’s construction, we have built a temporary site in Seberang Prai where nearly 1,000 of our team members have already set up the production line for SSD,” Singh said. “Once the new plant is ready, this operation will be moved to Batu Kawan, giving us the advantage to ramp up production and hit the ground running without the lag of waiting for the operationalization of a new facility.”Malaysia to Gain From Micron’s Global Manufacturing NetworkMicron’s commitment to Malaysia extends beyond business investments. As an industry powerhouse, Micron’s Malaysia operations will tap into its global expertise and best practices.“Malaysia is in a unique position to benefit due to its close proximity with our NAND Center of Excellence in Singapore,” Singh said. “We are learning from our factory in Singapore, which implements the latest advances in smart manufacturing, as we develop the facility in Batu Kawan. Those lessons will be used to ensure that new technologies are deployed cost-effectively and push the envelope to get them to the next level.”On the talent front, Micron is creating a pipeline of local Malaysian talent from a young age. This means driving multiple STEM initiatives targeting local primary and secondary schools and includes a Women in Science and Engineering Program we’re offering at 39 of Penang’s secondary schools. We’re also creating internships for engineering degree holders through the company’s Industry Student Engagement Program (ISEP) and continuing a training program for young diploma holders held in conjunction with Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) to give them skills that are required by the industry.Our workforce development initiative also gives Micron an opportunity to work with young talent new to the industry so they can learn and undergo in-depth industry training from more experienced peers."We use our global network of expertise to train young workers and give them the opportunity to learn and participate in this start-up-like environment,” Singh said. “We have already hired nearly 40 new college graduates from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Our game plan is to continue on this path by hiring a higher percentage of local graduates and giving them access to our facilities to learn our technology and advance our Malaysia facility. More than that, we hope our collaboration with local universities can extend further into high-impact research initiatives that benefit the wider community."Micron’s Commitment to Malaysia’s Communities During the COVID-19 PandemicMicron is investing in the greater Malaysian community as the country fights the current COVID-19 pandemic. Malaysia is one of five countries prioritized to receive grants from Micron’s $35 million global relief fund. The company recently announced a RM2.6 million donation from the Micron Foundation that will help the three groups most in need – front-line workers and hospitals, children and the elderly in charitable homes, and underprivileged families in Muar and Penang near its facilities. The goal is to quickly distribute aid such as medical and personal protective equipment, food and household items, and financial assistance.In addition, Micron is supporting its Malaysian employees by making a one-time assistance payment of RM1,300 to 94% of its workforce based in Muar and Penang. This is the percentage of the workforce meeting the eligibility criteria.Designated as an essential services provider by the Malaysian government, Micron continues to maintain its local operations. Micron products built in Malaysia are critical to helping the world effectively cope with COVID-19. Our technology enables advanced medical devices for treatment, data centers and supercomputers used by scientists to find new solutions, and e-learning and videoconferencing capabilities that connect the world during this period of restricted movement.Sangeeta Rajgopal is Head of Country Communications Marketing, Singapore Malaysia Global Communications Marketing, Micron