Latest news with #SMDSemiconductor
The Star
04-08-2025
- Business
- The Star
S'wak keen on long-term collab in chips and microelectronics with British partners
SMD Semiconductor chief executive Shariman Jamil (third right) leading the courtesy visit to British High Commissioner to Malaysia Ajay Sharma (centre). KUCHING: Sarawak is exploring long-term collaboration with British partners in the semiconductor and microelectronics sectors. This was highlighted in a courtesy visit by state-owned SMD Semiconductor Sdn Bhd to Britain's High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ajay Sharma, in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (Aug 4). ALSO READ: Sarawak eyes becoming SEA semiconductor hub SMD chief executive Shariman Jamil, who led the visit, said the company was committed to strengthening bilateral cooperation in innovation, technology exchange and the development of advanced semiconductor capabilities. A key topic of discussion was SMD's collaboration with Britain's CSA Catapult, along with the development of new AI chip integration, chiplets and heterogeneous integration. "The engagement reflects the deepening ties between Sarawak and Britain, united by a shared ambition to lead in semiconductor innovation. ALSO READ: S'wak takes a leap of faith as semiconductor hub through partnership with British companies "This visit marks an important milestone as we work towards unlocking greater opportunities with UK partners while positioning Sarawak on the global map of advanced chip design," he said in a statement. He also briefed Sharma on Sarawak's Semiconductor Roadmap 2030 as well as SMD's participation in the upcoming Microelectronics UK 2025 in London on Sept 24 and 25. He said SMD would showcase several key innovations, including the power converter prototype developed in collaboration with CSA Catapult. ALSO READ: Abang Johari: Keteq AI a major leap forward in power electronics Sharma expressed strong support for the growing engagement between Sarawak and Britain in semiconductors and advanced technologies. "This mutually beneficial collaboration reflects our shared commitment to fostering innovation, enhancing trade relationships and supporting sustainable development. "I strongly welcome initiatives like these and look forward to developing further our dialogue and partnership in areas of mutual interest," he said.
The Star
24-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
New UK envoy to Malaysia to prioritise chip cooperation
Ajay Sharma, UK High Commissioner to Malaysia - Bernama KUALA LUMPUR: The United Kingdom's new High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ajay Sharma, has made strengthening bilateral cooperation a key priority, with a particular focus on the fast-growing semiconductor sector and the development of integrated chip design and advanced manufacturing. He said the British government is keen to strengthen linkages and exchange ideas to increase the value chain in both countries in the semiconductor industry and the manufacture of high-end chips. This aligns with Malaysia's ambitions under the National Semiconductor Strategy or NSS to transition from outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing to high-end manufacturing and niche capabilities such as integrated circuit design. 'We have seen a Malaysian company invest in a new compound semiconductor facility in Wales,' he said, referring to SMD Semiconductor, a Sarawak state-owned firm that recently opened a research and development innovation hub in Newport, an industrial port city in Wales. 'Therefore, I really want to work with Malaysia on the semiconductor industry. Malaysia is already involved in different parts of the value chain, and we can complement and learn from each other,' he told Bernama after appearing on Bernama TV's 'The Nation' programme recently. Sharma, who succeeded Ailsa Terry CMG, had previously served in Iran, Qatar, Turkiye, Moscow and Paris. He also sees potential for a UK-Malaysia partnership in offering specialised courses on semiconductors and chip design in British universities, where a significant number of Malaysian students pursue higher education. 'We can also collaborate with local universities to bring Malaysian talent to the United Kingdom and set up courses here. Then we could see these courses develop and expand to Malaysia as well,' he said. He also highlighted clean energy as an area for increased bilateral cooperation, in which Malaysia has immense potential and where Britain could play a supporting role. 'Malaysia has huge natural resources, immense opportunities in clean energy and is working on significant development on carbon capture, green tech and energy transition. Malaysia also has creative and innovative technologies which can be used in our universities, labs and expanded into businesses. 'This interests me to try to get more investments from both countries in this sector as well,' said Sharma. Sharma said he is keen to boost two-way investments, especially Malaysian investments in the United Kingdom, citing successful ventures such as the Battersea Power Station redevelopment, YTL's Brabazon project in Bristol, and contributions in sectors ranging from water utilities like Wessex Water to power generation. At the same time, he aims to raise awareness among UK companies about business opportunities in Malaysia. 'Companies in the United Kingdom do not know much about the opportunities here in Malaysia, and we need to raise the profile to generate business interest. 'So, that is a key area that I would like to fix under my leadership,' said Sharma, who stressed this is even more important with Malaysia being a key market for economic growth in the Asean region. With UK-Malaysia trade worth £6bil (RM34.8bil), the potential for increased trade is huge. 'We should be doing much more in many areas, such as tech development, which affects everything from healthcare to life sciences to defence manufacturing.'
The Sun
29-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
UK's new envoy to Malaysia to prioritise cooperation in semiconductor sector
KUALA LUMPUR: The United Kingdom's new High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ajay Sharma, has made strengthening bilateral cooperation a key priority, with a particular focus on the fast-growing semiconductor sector and the development of integrated chip design and advanced manufacturing. He said the British government is keen to strengthen linkages and exchange ideas to increase the value chain in both countries in the semiconductor industry and the manufacture of high-end chips. This aligns with Malaysia's ambitions under the National Semiconductor Strategy to transition from outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing to high-end manufacturing and niche capabilities such as integrated circuit design. 'We have seen a Malaysian company invest in a new compound semiconductor facility in Wales,' he said, referring to SMD Semiconductor, a Sarawak state-owned firm that recently opened a research and development innovation hub in Newport, an industrial port city in Wales. 'Therefore, I really want to work with Malaysia on the semiconductor industry. Malaysia is already involved in different parts of the value chain, and we can complement and learn from each other,' he told Bernama after appearing on Bernama TV's The Nation programme recently. Sharma, who succeeded Ailsa Terry, previously served in Iran, Qatar, Turkey, Moscow and Paris. He also sees potential for a UK-Malaysia partnership in offering specialised courses on semiconductors and chip design in British universities, where a significant number of Malaysian students pursue higher education. 'We can also collaborate with local universities to bring Malaysian talent to the UK and set up courses here. Then we could see these courses develop and expand to Malaysia as well,' he said. He also highlighted clean energy as an area for increased bilateral cooperation, in which Malaysia has immense potential and where Britain could play a supporting role. 'Malaysia has huge natural resources, immense opportunities in clean energy and is working on significant development on carbon capture, green tech and energy transition. Malaysia also has creative and innovative technologies which can be used in our universities, labs and expanded into businesses. 'This interests me to try to get more investments from both countries in this sector as well,' said Sharma. Sharma said he is keen to boost two-way investments, especially Malaysian investments in the UK, citing successful ventures such as the Battersea Power Station redevelopment, YTL's Brabazon project in Bristol, and contributions in sectors ranging from water utilities like Wessex Water to power generation. At the same time, he aims to raise awareness among UK companies about business opportunities in Malaysia. 'Companies in the UK do not know much about the opportunities here in Malaysia, and we need to raise the profile to generate business interest. 'So, that is a key area that I would like to fix under my leadership,' said Sharma, who stressed this is even more important with Malaysia being a key market for economic growth in the Asean region. With UK-Malaysia trade worth £6 billion (RM34.8 billion), the potential for increased trade is huge. 'We should be doing much more in many areas, such as tech development, which affects everything from healthcare to life sciences to defence manufacturing. We need to work on these and not be limited to areas we have focused on in the past,' said Sharma. He said the UK expects vast new opportunities following its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on Dec 15 last year, becoming the first European nation to join the pact. The CPTPP now includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. With a combined population of 580 million and accounting for 15.6% of global gross domestic product, the CPTPP is the world's fourth-largest free trade bloc. Sharma noted that the global trading system is under considerable strain, with questions raised about the World Trade Organisation's ability to manage challenges, even before the protectionist measures introduced by the United States. 'We really need to find ways to ensure cooperation between our countries to support free trade flows and growth, which is the main reason we were keen to join the CPTPP. 'We must ensure the trade administration process is as simple as possible. I wouldn't want people to miss out on a great trade arrangement simply because the process for applying for exemptions, etc, is too complicated or too onerous,' he said. The UK government, he added, is working closely with businesses to help them take full advantage of the CPTPP, including through cost savings and improved market access. 'As a government, we are working with businesses to make sure they take advantage of these (CPTPP) opportunities,' he said. – Bernama
New Straits Times
29-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
UK envoy eyes stronger ties with Malaysia in semiconductor sector
KUALA LUMPUR: The United Kingdom's new High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ajay Sharma, has made strengthening bilateral cooperation a key priority, with a particular focus on the fast-growing semiconductor sector and the development of integrated chip design and advanced manufacturing. He said the British government is keen to strengthen linkages and exchange ideas to increase the value chain in both countries in the semiconductor industry and the manufacture of high-end chips. This aligns with Malaysia's ambitions under the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) to transition from outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing to high-end manufacturing and niche capabilities such as integrated circuit design. "We have seen a Malaysian company invest in a new compound semiconductor facility in Wales," he said, referring to SMD Semiconductor, a Sarawak state-owned firm that recently opened a research and development innovation hub in Newport, an industrial port city in Wales. "Therefore, I really want to work with Malaysia on the semiconductor industry. Malaysia is already involved in different parts of the value chain, and we can complement and learn from each other," he told Bernama after appearing on Bernama TV's 'The Nation' programme recently. Sharma, who succeeded Ailsa Terry CMG, previously served in Iran, Qatar, Turkey, Moscow and Paris. He also sees potential for a UK-Malaysia partnership in offering specialised courses on semiconductors and chip design in British universities, where a significant number of Malaysian students pursue higher education. Malaysia has huge potential in clean energy "We can also collaborate with local universities to bring Malaysian talent to the UK and set up courses here. Then we could see these courses develop and expand to Malaysia as well," he said. He also highlighted clean energy as an area for increased bilateral cooperation, in which Malaysia has immense potential and where Britain could play a supporting role. "Malaysia has huge natural resources, immense opportunities in clean energy and is working on significant development on carbon capture, green tech and energy transition. Malaysia also has creative and innovative technologies which can be used in our universities, labs and expanded into businesses. "This interests me to try to get more investments from both countries in this sector as well," said Sharma. Sharma said he is keen to boost two-way investments, especially Malaysian investments in the UK, citing successful ventures such as the Battersea Power Station redevelopment, YTL's Brabazon project in Bristol, and contributions in sectors ranging from water utilities like Wessex Water to power generation. At the same time, he aims to raise awareness among UK companies about business opportunities in Malaysia. "Companies in the UK do not know much about the opportunities here in Malaysia, and we need to raise the profile to generate business interest. "So, that is a key area that I would like to fix under my leadership," said Sharma, who stressed this is even more important with Malaysia being a key market for economic growth in the Asean region. CPTPP trade process must be as simple as possible With UK-Malaysia trade worth six billion pounds (about RM34.8billion), the potential for increased trade is huge. "We should be doing much more in many areas, such as tech development, which affects everything from healthcare to life sciences to defence manufacturing. We need to work on these and not be limited to areas we have focused on in the past," said Sharma. He said the UK expects vast new opportunities following its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on December 15 last year, becoming the first European nation to join the pact. The CPTPP now includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. With a combined population of 580 million and accounting for 15.6 per cent of global gross domestic product, the CPTPP is the world's fourth-largest free trade bloc. Sharma noted that the global trading system is under considerable strain, with questions raised about the World Trade Organisation's ability to manage challenges, even before the protectionist measures introduced by the United States. "We really need to find ways to ensure cooperation between our countries to support free trade flows and growth, which is the main reason we were keen to join the CPTPP. "We must ensure the trade administration process is as simple as possible. I wouldn't want people to miss out on a great trade arrangement simply because the process for applying for exemptions, etc, is too complicated or too onerous," he said. The UK government, he added, is working closely with businesses to help them take full advantage of the CPTPP, including through cost savings and improved market access. "As a government, we are working with businesses to make sure they take advantage of these (CPTPP) opportunities," he said.
The Sun
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
SMD Semiconductor calls on young talents to explore careers in chip design at TRACE 2025
KUCHING: Sarawak's homegrown semiconductor company, SMD Semiconductor, is calling on the next generation of talents to explore exciting career opportunities in chip design by visiting its booth at the upcoming Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Talent Recruitment and Career Exhibition (TRACE) 2025. The event will take place on June 17 and 18 at the UNIMAS Kota Samarahan campus. In a statement today, SMD chief executive officer Shariman Jamil said the company is actively seeking Sarawakian talents and aims to showcase the real-world impact of a career in chip design — a field that goes far beyond technical work. 'Chip designers are behind the technologies that power smartphones, electric vehicles, medical devices, and smart homes. With strong global demand, this industry offers long-term job stability, competitive salaries, and the satisfaction of seeing your innovations come to life,' he said. Shariman added that SMD provides multiple pathways for local graduates, from internships to full-time career placements, in areas such as chip design, semiconductor engineering, and AI development. He highlighted the company's flagship Semiconductor Mastery Programme, a six-month specialised training course focused on Analog Integrated Circuit (IC) Design and IC Test Solution Development Engineering. The programme is run in collaboration with several key partners, including the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Sarawak (MEITD), Melexis NV, a Belgium-based global semiconductor supplier, X-Fab Sarawak, a German semiconductor foundry, and the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS). In addition, SMD works closely with local universities to deliver advanced training and education, including a postgraduate microelectronics programme in collaboration with Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak. 'At our booth, visitors will be able to meet industry professionals, submit their CVs directly, and explore opportunities to join our team or enrol in specialised training at the SMD Academy, which is focused on preparing Sarawakians for high-value careers in the digital industry,' he said. Shariman noted that SMD's participation in TRACE 2025 aligns with Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg's vision to position the state as a regional high-value semiconductor hub by 2030. 'In line with this aspiration, SMD is championing sustainable innovation, circular economy practices, and advanced chip packaging. We are laying the foundation for long-term economic growth, research breakthroughs, and job creation in AI, automotive technologies, and integrated chip design,' he said. TRACE is Sarawak's largest career fair and is expected to attract over 80 companies and more than 15,000 visitors this year.
