The UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has called for support from central government for domestic chip production to ensure Britain’s “resilience and security”. 

Speaking to UKTN, Kyle, who was visiting the semiconductor manufacturing hub of Newport, Wales, said the technology is “underpinning the growth of the economy” and the “transition of the government towards a digital future”.   

“Therefore, we need domestic production for resilience and security reasons.”   

The global semiconductor manufacturing industry is dominated by Taiwan, the US, China and South Korea. 

By contrast, the UK accounts for just 0.5% of semiconductor sales, according to government figures, and is in the top 20 nations for importing chips, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.   

The secretary of state for technology was in Wales to champion the efforts of the semiconductor manufacturers Vishay Newport and KLA. There he said the government must be an active partner to be “part of that magic”.   …