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Thai deal targets growth of domestic chip design
The Thai Embedded Systems Association (TESA) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with global chip design software firm Synopsys as it works to build domestic chip design capabilities.
The platform aims to enable Thai production of its own chip products, utilising its existing manufacturing industry, supporting advanced research and contributing to the local assembly, testing and packaging sector.
The partnership can also cultivate local talent to compete to become a semiconductor hub in Southeast Asia, said Wiroon Sriborrirux, president of TESA.
"Thailand imports chips worth hundreds of billions of baht every year, yet we don't design our own chips. This need to change," he said.
The MoU represents a step forward in chip design for the nation, said Mr Wiroon.
Thailand will develop capabilities to contribute to the global Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) ecosystem as a designer and innovator, not just a consumer, he said.
Under the MoU on AIoT chip prototyping and curriculum development, Synopsys will provide electronic design automation tools, technical support, and the necessary resources to help Thailand's ecosystem, particularly university professors and industry partners to achieve the technical results needed for success.
This partnership represents a milestone in Thailand's goal to design its own chips, said Mr Wiroon.
"We're working to develop a prototype of a 'nation chip' with built-in edge AI capabilities that will be the core technology for high-impact industries in Thailand," he said.
TESA expects an outcome from the collaboration by the middle of next year, said Mr Wiroon.
Ultimately, the association intends to create a sustainable knowledge transfer model for Thailand, with 50 professionals trained by the end of 2026.
Thanaporn Sangpaithoon, vice-president of TESA, said Thailand's electronics industry is dominated by assembly, testing, packaging and manufacturing, with only a few integrated circuit (IC) design companies.
"TESA aims to shift the country's focus from low-value-added manufacturing and production to accelerating R&D activities in IC design, and production of intellectual property [IP] patents as well as development of a skilled IC design workforce," said Mr Thanaporn.
In the long term, the group wants Thailand to build capability in design and manufacturing of its own electronics products for export, rather than remaining a production base for factories that can easily be relocated elsewhere, he said.
The MoU is meant to facilitate AIoT prototyping and curriculum development by leveraging Synopsys tools to create application-specific IC prototypes, extending this design collaboration to TESA's university partners, and fostering the growth of new startups that will adopt Synopsys' electronic design automation technologies and IP.
Seven university partners have signed user licence agreements with Synopsys through TESA, gaining access to tools for chip prototyping and developing curricula focused on IC design.
The Synopsys-TESA partnership is focusing first on prototyping 32-bit RISC-V chips with a tiny and efficient neural processing unit. These chips are uniquely suitable for AIoT, featuring an open and modular architecture with low power consumption and high efficiency.
Adrian Ng, executive sales director for Southeast Asia, Pakistan and Bangladesh at Synopsys, said the US-China trade war and tariffs are creating an unfortunate but significant opportunity for Southeast Asia as more companies seek to move operations to Asia.
The semiconductor business is critical for national security and countries are heavily investing in it, he said.
The global semiconductor market is projected for rapid growth, reaching US$1 trillion by 2030, rising from roughly $500 billion now, said Mr Ng.
However, the industry faces significant challenges, particularly demand for talent, with huge shortages of engineers in the US, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and India.
He said Thailand has a strong base in assembly and testing, but it must move upstream.
Building a robust IC design ecosystem requires a clear government industrial policy, R&D incentives, and open investment and talent development, said Mr Ng.
Synopsys hopes this AIoT project will be a "shining star" for Thailand's silicon capabilities, he said.
Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines are developing their semiconductor sectors, and Thailand needs to "ride on this wave", said Mr Ng.
