On 25 September 2026, Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry Dr Tan See Leng launched SG Semiconductor, a national identity for the semiconductor sector developed with A*STAR and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). The launch is not merely a branding exercise. Behind it sits an S$800 million investment for 2026–2030 through the RIE Flagship in Semiconductors, with seven technology focus areas: advanced packaging, silicon photonics, power electronics, RF gallium nitride, piezoMEMS, flat optics, and integrated circuit design.
Laboratories That Were Already Running Before the Name Existed
The SG Semiconductor narrative often looks like a new initiative. In reality, its research infrastructure matured long before the launch. The advanced packaging joint laboratory between Applied Materials and A*STAR has been running since 2011 across three phases. Over the past five years, 50 companies—nine of them local SMEs—have run S$46 million worth of research projects through the lab. Applied Materials has also launched more than 10 semiconductor manufacturing tools developed in Singapore through this collaboration, some of which became global bestsellers.
Phase Four and Expanded Scope
In September 2026, the fourth phase of the collaboration was announced with expanded infrastructure, equipment, and laboratory workforce. This expansion matters because advanced packaging is no longer only about combining chips; it also involves thermal management, interconnection, and photonic integration. A*STAR also formed new collaborations with KLA for process control, STATS ChipPAC for co-packaged optics, and GlobalFoundries for 300-millimeter wafer-based silicon photonics. For startups, access to tools and expertise in shared laboratories lowers the barrier to validating ideas before production.
A Talent Pipeline Designed from the Start
One classic semiconductor ecosystem problem is the shortage of design and process engineers. SG Semiconductor includes fairly specific training pathways. EDB and the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA) run a six-month IC design training program developed with NTU and industry. The Singapore Institute of Technology will start a “2+2” model in September 2027, with two years on campus and nearly two years at a workplace. At postgraduate level, 14 semiconductor companies have participated in the Industrial Postgraduate Programme and produced nearly 100 graduates.
Why a National Identity Matters for Startups
For semiconductor startups, the biggest barriers are often not technology but access to facilities, talent, and first customers. SG Semiconductor positions Singapore as a gateway that is easier for global companies and foreign talent to understand. If execution remains consistent, this identity can shorten the distance between A*STAR laboratories and startup commercialization, especially in advanced packaging and chip design.
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