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SEMICONDUCTOR VOICE - STRENGTHENING - Singapore Semiconductor Industry ...
SINGAPORE
SEMICONDUCTOR
                                                         Volume 15

                                                        VOICE
T05SS0291A

  STRENGTHENING AND GROWING THE
SEMICONDUCTOR LOCAL ECOSYSTEM
The Automation   GlobalFoundries New   Lumileds -
and Robotics     S$5B Singapore Fab    Commitment to
Consortium       to ramp up in 2023    Sustainability
SEMICONDUCTOR VOICE - STRENGTHENING - Singapore Semiconductor Industry ...
SEMICONDUCTOR VOICE - STRENGTHENING - Singapore Semiconductor Industry ...
Foreword by Executive Director
B
         y the time this edition is       investment into a new 300mm                     annual Semiconductor Business
         published, Singapore is well     facility in Singapore. Targeted to be           Connect.
         underway to meet our target      operational by 2023, what this means
of fully vaccinating two-third of         is job creation and a further boost             Speaking of which, we will be
the population by early August. As        to our local ecosystem, in tandem               organizing our flagship SSIA Summit
the nation adjusts to new norms           with Singapore’s vision to grow the             and Semiconductor Dinner this year!
brought about by COVID-19 becoming        manufacturing sector by 50% over the            Keeping a close eye on the pandemic
endemic, we reflect on the past year      next decade.                                    and safety measures, but optimistic
– and consider the semiconductor                                                          about the nation’s vaccination rate,
industry fortunate.                       Our semiconductor industry will grow            we hope to be able to bring everyone
                                          significantly in the coming years,              together by end September. Themed
Multiple factors, including an            and we must be ready to support                 “Building a Smart Nation with
increased demand for consumer             this growth. We see potential to fill           Innovation and Technology”, we look
electronics and new technologies          gaps in talent cultivation, training            forward to discussing mega trends
such as 5G gaining traction, have         and upskilling. We want to optimize             that will drive our industry’s growth,
led to a surge in demand for              technological advancement in areas              and most importantly, engage in
semiconductor chips globally. While       such as AI and automation to future-            much-missed physical networking
this has caused a global shortage and     proof our workforce. SSIA is finalizing         (within safe measures, no doubt).
impacted many related industries          our pipeline of initiatives, and will           I take this opportunity to thank the
relying on semiconductor chips in their   share details in due time.                      companies which have pledged their
products, many countries now realize                                                      sponsorship, and welcome more to
the importance of semiconductors,         Additionally, we recognize the                  reach out to us. More information on
not just economically, but even from      need for a more robust local                    SSIA Summit and Semiconductor
their national security standpoint.       ecosystem to support the industry.              Dinner 2021 is available on SSIA
                                          The pandemic made many                          website. With your strong support, I
Some countries have been investing        multinational companies realize their           am sure this event will be a success!
heavily to further grow and support       reliance on local firms, and the need
the semiconductor industry, such as in    to help them grow. With this in mind,           I look forward to catching up with you
the US and China. Others are ramping      SSIA is fronting a committee pooling            partners and industry leaders at the
up their commitment. We see fabs          the industry’s MNC leaders as well              event, and in the meantime, stay safe
around the world addressing the chip      as partners such as EDB and ESG. We             and healthy!
shortage by expanding both short and      have also started scaling up relevant
long term capacity. GlobalFoundries       platforms to bring international and            Best regards
recently announced their S$5B             local entities closer, such as our              Wee Seng

    EDITORIAL TEAM                                                                           SSIA BOARD
   EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR      COMMUNICATIONS                SENIOR PROJECT                     Andrew Chong      (Chairman)
   Ang Wee Seng            MANAGER                       EXECUTIVE                          Brian Tan         (Vice-Chairman)
   weeseng@ssia.org.sg     Lynda Lim                     Rebecca Foo
                           lyndalim@ssia.org.sg          rebecca@ssia.org.sg                Jerome Tjia       (Secretary)
   STRATEGIC                                                                                Jennifer Teong    (Treasurer)
   PROGRAMS DIRECTOR       HR MANAGER                    EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT                KC Ang            (Board Member)
   Julie Koh               Patsy Tan                     Cindy Chong                        Rajan Rajgopal    (Board Member)
   juliekoh@ssia.org.sg    patsy@ssia.org.sg             cindy@ssia.org.sg
                                                                                            Chen Seok Ching   (Board Member)
   DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF      SENIOR BUSINESS               DESIGNED BY                        Terence Gan       (Board Member)
   PROJECTS                DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE         Superskill Graphics Pte Ltd        Soh Lip Leong     (Board Member)
   Daphne Leong            Jasmine Tai                   www.superskill.com
   daphne@ssia.org.sg      jasmine@ssia.org.sg

                                                                                 Vol 15     Singapore Semiconductor Voice       3
SEMICONDUCTOR VOICE - STRENGTHENING - Singapore Semiconductor Industry ...
CONTENTS
                                          GROWING THE SEMICONDUCTOR
                                          ECOSYSTEM

                                          20
                                               Semiconductor Business
                                               Connect 2021

03                                        24
     Foreword by Executive                     SME Local Ecosystem
     Director                                  Improvement Committee

                                          25
                                               Partnering With Industry
SSIA UPDATES                                   for Success

06                                        26
     Soh Lip Leong:                            “Coming Together is the
     Hunting As A Pack                         Beginning. Keeping Together
                                               is Progress. Working Together
                                               is Success”

08
     WinTech Nano Technologies -

                                          32
     Labless Vision                            Enabling the
                                               Digital World

09
     Asia’s Technology Boom -

                                          34
     Transforming the                          Enabling WLCSP Full Turnkey
     Post-Pandemic Future                      Solution Within The Island

10
     Temasek Polytechnic Advanced

                                          35
     Manufacturing Centre -                    SSIA Welcomes
     Enabling Talents and Solutions            New Members
     for the Industry

12
     With the Right Advice, You Can
     Put Your Possibilities to Work       INDUSTRY

17                                        36
     Virtual Career Talk: Opportunities        GlobalFoundries New S$5B
     in the Manufacturing Sector               Singapore Fab Ready in 2023

18                                        38
     Upcoming Electronics & Industry           Chipmakers Achieve Higher
     Relevant Courses                          Equipment Availability with
                                               Lam’s WCO
SEMICONDUCTOR VOICE - STRENGTHENING - Singapore Semiconductor Industry ...
40
     Lumileds - Commitment
     to Sustainability

42
     Meeting Environmental Social
     Governance Goals with Water
     Recycling & Reuse

43
     ITAP 2021 -
     An Inspired Vision

44
     Semiconductor Tradewinds
     May/June 2021

46
     Henkel Adhesives
     Electronics - A Partner in
     Advanced Packaging Solution

48
     Arizona Becomes
     "U.S. Semiconductor Central”

50
     6G and Beyond:
     The Journey Starts Now

PEOPLE

52
     Wisdom of a Homegrown
     Tech Start-Up Expert

54
     Intel and ITE Collaboration:     DISCLAIMER
     Building Digital Readiness for   The Singapore Semiconductor Voice is the official
                                      publication of SSIA. All rights are reserved and no part
     Singapore Competitiveness
                                      of this publication may be reproduced without the

56
                                      expressed written consent of SSIA and the publisher.
     Celebrating the Launch of        While every effort has been made to ensure the
     SWE@SG on International          information in this publication is accurate and up to
     Women in Engineering Day         date, the secretariat team will not be responsible for
                                      the errors made as a result of information received.

58
     HR Tech Festival Asia Online     Opinions expressed are that of writers and do not
     2021: Defining HR’s Roadmap      necessarily represent the views and opinions of SSIA or
     for 2022                         the publisher.
SEMICONDUCTOR VOICE - STRENGTHENING - Singapore Semiconductor Industry ...
SSIA UPDATES

    Soh Lip Leong:
                                                                        As the borders shut down, the traditional
                                                                        source of labour just disappeared and
                                                                        companies need to contend with that. The

    Hunting As A Pack
                                                                        third pillar is logistic capabilities. This looks
                                                                        beyond Singapore because if your parts come
                                                                        from the Philippines, Taiwan, China, Vietnam
                                                                        or anywhere else in the world, there are many
                                                                        touch points along the way that are facing
    In the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies                   disruption,” Soh adds.
    large and small are regrouping to plan for more stable
    times. Joining the SSIA board at this pivotal moment, ams           Solutions to these challenges will be unique
    OSRAM Sensors Singapore Senior VP and GM Soh Lip Leong              for each company but Soh emphasizes
    is setting his sights on supporting SMEs wade through               that a vital tool is knowing where to seek
    the aftereffects of the pandemic and bolstering them to             assistance and information. “Trying to know or
    regional heights.                                                   remembering everything is not as important
                                                                        as knowing where to obtain information. The

    I
"       f you look from a strategic perspective, Covid-19 basically     Singapore government has various bodies
        shut down borders which badly affected a lot of SMEs            that support SMEs. Thus, a list should be made
        and even some MNCs. From the very start, ams OSRAM              available for SMEs to know who to reach out to
    managed to implement initiatives to protect our people and our      for information,” Soh says.
    revenue. Last year, even amid this pandemic, the company broke
    productivity and efficiency records,” Soh says.

    Learning from the ams OSRAM's strategy may aid other
    corporations and SMEs as countries all over the world continue
    to battle fresh outbreaks and vaccine supply disruptions. “Our
    strategy was based on three pillars. The first being supply chain
    continuity. We must ensure that delivery and set up of machines/
    equipment and delivery of raw materials are all on time. Those
    with external manufacturing partnerships must ensure that your
    sub-assembly is prompt. Second is human resources availability.

    6    Singapore Semiconductor Voice   Vol 15
SEMICONDUCTOR VOICE - STRENGTHENING - Singapore Semiconductor Industry ...
SSIA UPDATES

“SMEs are diverse with many different needs. It is our role to
listen to their needs, aggregate them and bring these needs to
the relevant ministries who can address them. As MNCs have a
“louder voice”, being a bridge between SMEs and the government
is also a crucial role that SSIA plays.” he says.

Looking beyond the pandemic, Soh proposes two key areas to
move Singapore SMEs to regional levels. “We hope to instill
a broader mindset in local SMEs to treat the semiconductor
ecosystem as a bigger corporation that they are a part of. SMEs
often see everyone else as a competitor therefore sharing,
learning and benchmarking have not been practiced often. Big
players have deeper pockets but for smaller players, you need to
go in as a team; collaborate and hunt as a pack,” Soh says.

Second is to focus on diversifying what SMEs can offer. “Business
is so interconnected now that you cannot rely on just one thing, be
it technology, capability or innovation. For example, if you look at
automation today, it cannot be just about bringing in a fabricator
or a machine integrator.

To move forward, a company needs to look at how they can use
all the data from these new machines to generate more things,
be it artificial intelligence (AI) or what I prefer to call computer-
integrated manufacturing,” he says.

Having worked at various stages of the supply chain in his
career, covering cross-continental responsibilities whilst leading
diversified teams, Soh feels that his experience combined with                   SOURCE OF CONTENTS
that of the other SSIA board members, can benefit local SMEs
at this time in terms of depth, regions, single responsibilities and
end-to-end accountability. “SSIA can walk with these SMEs in
their journey to grow and reach regional heights,” he says.

                                                                        Vol 15   Singapore Semiconductor Voice   7
SEMICONDUCTOR VOICE - STRENGTHENING - Singapore Semiconductor Industry ...
SSIA UPDATES

WinTech Nano Technologies
- Labless Vision
On 17 May 2021, Mr Ang Wee Seng, Executive Director of
SSIA, was invited as a Guest of Honor to grace the celebratory       They have grown into a successful and
event of WinTech Nano-Technology, which have been                    significant local company that supports
featured on the Fortune Times Magazine. This remarkable              our industry.
milestone featuring Mr Li Xiaomin, the President of WinTech
Nano-Technology as front page was a recognition of the               The semiconductor industry remains a bright
achievements of Labless Vision which WinTech Nano has                spot in our economy despite the pandemic.
brought to the Semiconductor Industry.                               The sector is fortunate to have performed
                                                                     well and is set to continue its robust growth

T
       he Labless Vision is indeed a great inspiration and           well into the next decade due to the
       strategy for our industry. This vision allows semiconductor   digitalization trends, driven by technologies
       companies to focus on their core business while entrusting    such as 5G, 6G, AI, IoT, EV and many more.
the laboratory services to 3rd party companies such as WinTech
Nano. This in turn allows the reduction in operating cost for the    An important factor to grow our industry
company, and most importantly, leveraging the advancement of         is not just the heavy investment into large
technologies which WinTech Nano can offer.                           multinational companies, but also the
                                                                     strengthening and growth of the industry’s
Over the past few years, WinTech Nano has been providing             local ecosystem.
the trustable lab analytical solution, a key service to the
semiconductor industry here in Singapore and the region.             In line with the national call, SSIA is
                                                                     committed to help build a strengthened
                                                                     semiconductor local ecosystem to
                                                                     emerge stronger and make Singapore a
                                                                     global semiconductor hub. Growing local
                                                                     companies, such as WinTech Nano, will be
                                                                     crucial to the growth of our industry here
                                                                     and the region.

                                                                                SOURCE OF CONTENTS

8    Singapore Semiconductor Voice    Vol 15
SEMICONDUCTOR VOICE - STRENGTHENING - Singapore Semiconductor Industry ...
SSIA UPDATES

                                                                                     strengthen the local ecosystem,
                                                                                     so as to ensure there is sufficient
                                                                                     support for the industry.”

                                                                                     Gavekal Dragonomics' technology
                                                                                     analyst Dan Wang said that China
                                                                                     could be the most vulnerable.
                                                                                     "China has seen that the U.S. is
                                                                                     almost a monopolist in certain
                                                                                     semiconductor technologies,
                                                                                     especially on semiconductor
                                                                                     production equipment,” he said.
                                                                                     "China is probably five to 10 years
                                                                                     behind on all different types of
                                                                                     segments, and the main question
Clockwise from top left: moderator Kenji Kawase, Julie Koh, Dan Wang                 now is how quickly China can close
and Mitsunobu Koshiba speak during an online panel discussion on June 29.            that gap where the U.S. has become
                                                                                     much more hostile. And Chinese

Asia’s Technology Boom - Transforming                                                tech companies are now trying very,
                                                                                     very hard to close this gap.”

the Post-Pandemic Future                                                             Mitsunobu Koshiba, chairman
                                                                                     emeritus at Japanese materials
FT Live and Nikkei Asia presented Asia’s Technology Boom – Panel :                   supplier JSR Corp., said the
Semiconductors: Meeting a global shortage, on 29 June 2021.                          industry needs to face the
                                                                                     "inconvenient truths” of rapid

M
         s Julie Koh, Strategic Programs Director of SSIA was invited to             growth, including the massive
         join the panel discussion, together with Mr Mitsunobu Koshiba,              amounts of energy required to
         Chairman Emeritus of JSR Corporation and Dan Wang, Technology               operate the most advanced
Analyst of Gavekal Dragonomics; and the session was moderated by Mr                  chipmaking equipment. Koshiba
Kenji Kawase, Chief Business News Correspondent, Nikkei Asia.                        said he is looking for "some creative
                                                                                     way to overcome this dilemma,
A global shortage of semiconductors that power such digital technologies --          such as quantum computing.”
from smartphones and data centers to cars -- is now in focus. Experts said
the dearth, combined with U.S.-China tensions and tighter border controls            For the original Nikkei Asia article,
during the pandemic, is prompting countries to rethink their supply chain.           it is available in https://asia.nikkei.
                                                                                     com/Business/Startups/
"We are always taking the approach of collaboration and regionalization,
considering how big Singapore is,” said Julie Koh, strategic programs director       To watch the event recordings, it
at Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association. "The semiconductor                  is available Video-on-Demand
companies have also recognized that it is very important that we grow and            until 31 December 2021. Please
                                                                                     click https://asiatechboom.live.
                                                                                     ft.com/agenda to watch.

                                                                                            SOURCE OF CONTENTS

                                                                            Vol 15     Singapore Semiconductor Voice           9
SEMICONDUCTOR VOICE - STRENGTHENING - Singapore Semiconductor Industry ...
SSIA UPDATES

Temasek Polytechnic Advanced                                               commitment to future-proof
                                                                           Singapore’s manufacturing
                                                                           sector by providing the necessary

Manufacturing Centre -                                                     skills training.

Enabling Talents and Solutions
                                                                           In addition, MOUs were also
                                                                           signed between TP and members
                                                                           of its Industry Partners Network,

for the Industry                                                           comprising trade associations
                                                                           and key industry partners, including
                                                                           the Singapore Semiconductor
Temasek Polytechnic (TP) has set up a S$7 million TP Advanced              Industry Association (SSIA) and
Manufacturing Centre (TP AMC) on its campus. It was officially opened      Singapore Precision Engineering &
by Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing, on 18 June 2021.             Technology Association (SPETA),
                                                                           as well as Arcstone Pte Ltd, Fujitsu

A
        I-empowered and data driven, TP AMC is an authentic advanced       Singapore, M8M Pte Ltd, OMRON
        manufacturing environment that comes complete with a nerve         Electronics, PDS Pte Ltd, SMC,
        centre, a production shop floor and an intralogistics automation   SMT Technology and Swisslog.
system. It is also a ‘live’ advanced manufacturing model factory that is   Through these MOUs, the parties
capable of autonomously assembling six different customisable products.    pledged their commitment to
                                                                           joint capability and knowledge
In conjunction with the launch, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)        development, training, as well as
was signed between the five local polytechnics and the Advanced            the transformation of companies
Manufacturing Training Academy (AMTA), deepening the collective            in this sector.

10   Singapore Semiconductor Voice   Vol 15
SSIA UPDATES

The TP AMC provides applied and          as OMRON, Fujitsu and Swisslog,
skills-based training, and serves        students will also be involved in
as a model for best practices            Proof of Concept (POC) projects, as
and solutions in advanced                part of their final-year Major Project
manufacturing for companies. It          and internship programme.
is well-equipped with the right
expertise and resources to support       In addition to providing students
companies in their Industry 4.0          and adult learners with experiential
transformation effort, taking            training, TP AMC also provides
reference from the Singapore             staff with opportunities to pursue
Smart Industry Readiness Index           multi- and inter- disciplinary             Nerve Centre
(SIRI) in doing so.                      applied research projects in line
                                         with industry trends. For instance,
Here, TP students as well as adult       TP is working with OMRON and
learners will get to experience          several system integrators to double
core emerging technologies such          the payload of an Autonomous
as Applied Artificial Intelligence,      Intelligent Transporter for warehouse
Advanced Robotics, Cyber-Physical        and cleanroom applications as
Systems, Industrial Internet of          well as shop floor digitalization
Things (IoT), Augmented Reality,         for connecting up to 100 moulding
Virtual Manufacturing & Digital          machines in collaboration with
Twin, and Operation Technology           Beyonics. The polytechnic has also
Cybersecurity. Working in multi-         teamed up with partners such as            Intralogistics Automation System
disciplinary teams, they will be         SSIA, SPETA, and OMRON, to offer a
directly involved in the factory’s       series of hands-on courses and set         learning and working in a multi-
operations involving high speed          up the POC project test-bedding            disciplinary industry setting and
inspection of product quality on the     laboratory. These programmes               prepare them for the new digital
fly, IoT monitoring of equipment         are expected to benefit more than          economy. At the same time, the
availability and inventory status,       2,000 adult learners from about            Centre will build a sustainable talent
workplace safety and health within       180 companies in the advanced              pipeline in advanced manufacturing
the factory, as well as the integrity    manufacturing sector within a              to support the national manpower
of the IT network hinging on AI-         period of 3 years.                         needs for Industry 4.0.
powered surveillance and cyber-
secured systems. Guided by experts       TP AMC will give both TP staff and         ENQUIRIES
from leading companies such              students first-hand experience of
                                                                                    For enquiries
                                                                                    and requests
                                                                                    for a tour of the
                                                                                    TP AMC model
                                                                                    factory, email us
                                                                                    at contactamc@
                                                                                    tp.edu.sg

                                                                                    For more details, please scan the QR
                                                                                    code and visit our website.

                                                                                           SOURCE OF CONTENTS

                                                                                      Advanced Manufacturing Centre
Cyber-Physical Systems at the Production Shop Floor

                                                                           Vol 15     Singapore Semiconductor Voice    11
SSIA UPDATES

With the Right Advice,
                                                                     MR CHOK YEAN
                                                                     HUNG
                                                                     Board Member, AEM

You Can Put Your
                                                                     Holdings Ltd

                                                                     What made you interested to
                                                                     join the WSG's volunteer Career

Possibilities to Work
                                                                     Advisors initiative?

                                                                     Being retired and having
                                                                     benefited from the Electronics
SSIA is supporting Workforce Singapore’s volunteer Career            and Semiconductor industry,
Advisors (vCA) initiative, which provides individuals (especially    volunteering into this initiative is a
mature workers) with peer-level support and career guidance as       way of giving back to this industry
they navigate professional pathways to advance their careers, or     and the society.
transition to other jobs.
                                                                     Through this initiative, I hope to be
We have invited our vCAs in the electronics and semiconductor        able to help shine a torch into this
sector to share their personal career journey and how advisees can   industry, attracting more fellow
connect and benefit from their industry experience.                  workers coming in and participate

12   Singapore Semiconductor Voice   Vol 15
SSIA UPDATES

in its growth in Singapore. With       stages of my career. They are either       people are unable to navigate
the current pandemic situation,        my peers, supervisors, customers           opportunities in this field due to
this WSG’s vCA initiative is indeed    or even business friends. Each of          misconception, lack of guidance
timely, where me and other fellow      them has imparted their learning           and confidence. My aim is to help as
advisors from this industry can        and wisdom, helping me to build my         many people as I can to understand
help workers from many other           foundation to excel.                       their situation and ease their entry
suffering industries to appreciate                                                into the electronics career.
the electronics & semiconductor        The key was really the willingness
industry’s needs and potentially       to listen and learn from others'           As a vCA, what experience/
build their career here.               experience as at times we can be           guidance would you like to
                                       blindsided. I remembered one of            provide for your advisee(s)?
As a vCA, what experience/             them saying “Ego and believing only
guidance would you like to             in legacy methods will ultimately          I would like my advisees to have
provide for your advisee(s)?           fail you”. This has always reminded        an open mind to appreciate
                                       me to listen and challenge myself          alternatives. I would also encourage
Prior to offering guidance to          to do better.                              them to embrace new opportunities
advisees, it is probably key to know                                              with their whole heart and with
their aspirations and core areas       MR SHANTONU                                confidence. Lastly, advisees should
of competency. Only from there,        BHADURY                                    try to inculcate a culture of lifelong
appropriate guidance can be given,     Design Engineering                         learning as career landscape is
be it the type of complementary        Director, IoT                              constantly evolving, which requires
skillsets needed or WSG’s various      Products, Silicon Labs                     continuous upskilling.
programmes to enhance individuals’
market value to enable them to         What made you interested to                Do you have a mentor/ advisor
progress in their careers.             join the WSG's volunteer Career            in your career journey? Could
                                       Advisors initiative?                       you share with us about it
Do you have a mentor/ advisor                                                     and how this experience has
in your career journey? Could          The opportunities, challenges              supported your career’s growth?
you share with us about it             and outlook in the electronics/
and how this experience has            semiconductor industry have                I have been blessed with excellent
supported your career’s growth?        evolved and become more diverse.           managers, who also mentored me
                                       The barrier to entry has also been         throughout my career. My mentors
I am blessed to have many              going up in certain sectors. As a          continuously challenged me with
individuals who have given me          result, even with electronic industry      different responsibilities, career
advice or mentored me at various       having a big presence in Singapore,        goals and guided me throughout
                                                                                  the journey. This helped me to build
                                                                                  my confidence, develop strong work
                                                                                  ethic and to feel empowered to take
                                                                                  tactical and strategic decisions.

                                                                                  Any other ideas you would
                                                                                  like to share about joining this
                                                                                  programme?

                                                                                  This program is currently geared
                                                                                  towards mid-career professionals
                                                                                  who are looking to pivot. I am
                                                                                  hoping that this program can be
                                                                                  extended to help students at the
                                                                                  cusp of choosing their career and
                                                                                  to guide them to make a more
                                                                                  informed choice.

                                                                         Vol 15     Singapore Semiconductor Voice     13
SSIA UPDATES

MS JULIE KOH
Strategic
Programs
Director,
Singapore
Semiconductor
Industry Association

What made you interested to
join the WSG's volunteer Career
Advisors initiative?

The COVID-19 pandemic has
impacted people’s life and
livelihood. With the Semiconductor
and Electronics industry
strengthening and hiring, it is a
wonderful opportunity to help
people understand more of the
opportunity in this industry and join
the sector. vCA is voluntary and my
way of giving back to the society
and the Semiconductor industry.

As a vCA, what experience/               President and CEO of Denselight         industry. The vCA initiative helps
guidance would you like to               Semiconductor. Back then as a young     them overcome some of the
provide for your advisee(s)?             Manager, I was coached to expand my     challenges faced by individuals who
                                         role, progress from being a technical   have spent decades in the same role
I would like to help others              expert to managing customers and        and industry to shift to a completely
understand that with technological       suppliers, increasing my span of        new industry.
disruptions, which is accelerated by     responsibility. The growth experience
COVID-19 and digitalisation, it has      taught me to focus on people, their     As a vCA, what experience/
impacted many industries and jobs.       strength, and developing them to        guidance would you like to
It is important that we understand       their fullest potential.                provide for your advisee(s)?
the trend and growth, work towards
upskilling, staying relevant and         MR VINOD NARANG                         I would like to guide the advisee(s)
remaining employable. I hope to          Senior Engineering                      on transferrable skills that can
empower jobseekers to be aware of        Manager, Product                        be applied in the semiconductor/
what they really wish to do in their     Development                             electronics industry, such as critical
career, what they are passionate         Engineering, Global                     thinking, analytical reasoning,
about, and work towards it.              Operations, AMD                         deeper communication skills and
                                                                                 teamwork.
Do you have a mentor / advisor           What made you interested to
in your career journey? Could            join the WSG's volunteer Career         I also plan to act as a channel to
you share with us about it               Advisors initiative?                    various placement services being
and how this experience has                                                      offered by the WSG including
supported your career’s growth?          The business transformation has         relevant workshops like art of
                                         accelerated, and many industries        interviewing, resume writing, etc.
I am fortunate to have met many          are being transformed rapidly.
wonderful mentors in my career. One      vCA volunteers help guide the           Do you have a mentor/ advisor
who has made a profound influence        individuals in the transition from      in your career journey? Could
in my career is Mr Rajan Rajgopal,       other industries to the electronics     you share with us about it

14   Singapore Semiconductor Voice      Vol 15
SSIA UPDATES

                                                                                 creation to the industry at large,
                                                                                 and also to young graduates
                                                                                 entering the workforce.

                                                                                 As a vCA, what experience/
                                                                                 guidance would you like to
                                                                                 provide for your advisee(s)?

                                                                                 While different industries demand
                                                                                 different skillsets, the individual
                                                                                 contributor or team player shall
                                                                                 always bring his/her creativity and
                                                                                 tenacity to the job. Such pride and
                                                                                 passion are sometimes missing in
                                                                                 the organization. With experience,
                                                                                 as a vCA, I hope to share other
                                                                                 perspectives on such less-explored
                                                                                 areas so that we can all extract
                                                                                 the self-motivation that shall
                                                                                 keep us striving for meaningful
                                                                                 achievements in our long careers.

                                                                                 Do you have a mentor/ advisor
                                                                                 in your career journey? Could
and how this experience has            semiconductor technologies which          you share with us about it
supported your career’s growth?        almost test the laws of Physics. I        and how this experience has
                                       hope more individuals can join this       supported your career’s growth?
Many years back, we had a              industry which has become the
leadership training that had a big     foundational technology for the           Throughout my 28 years in the
influence on me. After the training,   advancement of our society.               workforce, I have the privilege to
I kept in touch with our coach.                                                  know 2 mentor bosses. Both can see
Whenever I had some complex            MR DENNIS FOO                             “through” people and bring out the
questions or wanted some guidance,     Vice President                            best in them. Encouraged by their
I would seek his advice. He would      Corporate Sales,                          helicopter view of even the worst
gently nudge me, point in few          Manufacturing                             situations and not losing sight of
directions and let me find the best    Integration                               what is happening on the ground,
answer for myself. He greatly helped   Technology Ltd                            I have been emulating them all
me at many critical junctures and                                                these years to achieve a blessed
I am really thankful for his advice!   What made you interested to               personal development and climb
I hope to provide similar help to      join the WSG's volunteer Career           the career ladder.
advisee(s) to find and charter         Advisors initiative?
their own paths, giving me huge                                                  To connect with one of the volunteer
satisfaction!                          I have been volunteering as an NTUC       Career Advisors, please visit https://
                                       YCN Career Guide, an SIT Mentor, a        go.gov.sg/vcai-app
Any other ideas you would              PSB Academy Brand Ambassador,
like to share about joining this       and 1st VP and 2nd VP in NTU Alumni              SOURCE OF CONTENTS
programme?                             Club Management Committee
                                       in the last 8 years. The WSG's
The main motivation is to contribute   volunteer Career Advisors initiative
to society in a small and meaningful   is a meaningful outreach platform              volunteer Career Advisors
manner. I am passionate                where like-minded volunteers can                       initiative
about working on advanced              bring experience sharing and value

                                                                        Vol 15     Singapore Semiconductor Voice      15
SSIA UPDATES

                                                                                     On initiatives, Mr Chok Yean Hung,
                                                                                     a board member of AEM holdings,
                                                                                     introduced the volunteer Career
                                                                                     Advisors (vCA) program which links
                                                                                     job seekers to industry professionals
                                                                                     whom they can tap on for advice
                                                                                     and to facilitate career progression,
                                                                                     followed by Ms Sek Mun Foong of
                                                                                     Innowave Tech sharing her experience
                                                                                     coming from a non-technical
                                                                                     background and transitioning to a
                                                                                     Project Engineer role through the
Speakers clockwise from top left: Mr Chok Yean Hung (AEM Holdings), Ms Julie Koh     training provided by her company
(SSIA), Ms Daphne Leong (SSIA) - Moderator, Mr Martin Leo (HP), Mr Ong Eng Hui       under the Professional Conversion
(Skyworks), Ms Sek Mun Foong (Innowave Tech)                                         Programme (PCP) initiative.

Virtual Career Talk: Opportunities
                                                                                     During the Q&A session, many
                                                                                     attendees were keen to hear about
                                                                                     employability for mid-career

in the Manufacturing Sector                                                          job seekers and senior staff. The
                                                                                     panel of speakers agreed that
                                                                                     having transferable skills and a
The electronics and manufacturing industry has been thriving despite                 willingness to learn were traits that
the COVID-19 pandemic, with several companies in Singapore set to                    hiring managers looked out for as
expand in the second half of 2021. To shed light on the vacancies in the             technical skills can always
industry, SSIA, with the support of Workforce Singapore (WSG), hosted                be acquired through training.
a webinar on 29 Jun 2021 titled Virtual Career Talk: Opportunities in                For those thinking of coming back
the Manufacturing Sector.                                                            to the industry after a break, Mr
                                                                                     Chok advised linking up with a

T
      he webinar covered two main topics – the growth opportunities in               vCA who can help identify the
      the industry and the initiatives from WSG that job seekers can tap             skills gap that can be filled to
      on. Ms Julie Koh, Strategic Programs Director of SSIA, opened with an          increase employability.
overview of the Semiconductor and Electronics ecosystem and future hiring
trends, followed by presentations by Mr Martin Leo from HP Inc and Mr Ong            We hope that the attendees have
Eng Hui from Skyworks Global Pte Ltd on the various job opportunities and            a better understanding of the
work culture at their companies.                                                     opportunities in the industry now
                                                                                     and wish them all the best in their
                                                                                     job search!

                                                                                     To connect with a vCA, go to
                                                                                     www.go.gov.sg/vcai-app
                                                                                     To learn more about PCP, go to
                                                                                     https://ssia.org.sg/pcp/
                                                                                     To view vacancies in the industry, go
                                                                                     to https://ssia.org.sg/jobs-listing/

                                                                                            SOURCE OF CONTENTS

Screenshot from the presentation on volunteer Career Advisors

                                                                            Vol 15     Singapore Semiconductor Voice       17
Arizona Semiconductor ecosystem and its opportunities
GROWING THE SEMICONDUCTOR ECOSYSTEM

                                                                                   Not only are we focusing on
                                                                                   improving the innovation
                                                                                   and productivity, we are also
                                                                                   collaborating with AMTA - Advanced
                                                                                   Manufacturing Training Academy, to
                                                                                   help companies understand the gap
                                                                                   and opportunity towards Industry
                                                                                   4.0 and also the trainings needed to
                                                                                   upskill and reskill the workers for the
                                                                                   upgraded jobs.

                                                                                   Mr Tan Yew Kong, Vice-President
                                                                                   of Operations, GlobalFoundries
                                                                                   Singapore, encouraged the team:
                                                                                   “As we advanced with Industry 4.0,
                                                                                   it is important to develop capability
                                                                                   courses to support the growth of the
                                                                                   local semiconductor ecosystem”.

SME Local Ecosystem                                                                “Strong collaboration across the
                                                                                   semiconductor ecosystem is critical

Improvement Committee
                                                                                   to advance innovation in the thriving
                                                                                   semiconductor industry. We look
                                                                                   forward to more engagements and
                                                                                   collaborations with our suppliers and
The SME local ecosystem                  Both Mr Chen Kok Sing, Corporate          partners,” said Mr Chen Kok Sing.
improvement committee was                Vice-President and Singapore
started in October 2020, led by a        Country Manager of Micron and             Together, we will emerge
team of industry leaders with the        Mr CS Chua, President and                 stronger – through innovation and
objective to strengthen the local        Managing Director of Infineon             collaboration.
semiconductor ecosystem through          Technologies, applauded all three
closer collaboration between             SMEs for their transformation             List of organizations
semiconductor manufacturers              journey leveraging Industry 4.0           participating in the SME Local
and their suppliers.                     technologies to automate and              Ecosystem Improvement
                                         digitalize. For instance, Aircond         Committee

T
       he committee invited 3            Network, with the data from
       representative suppliers          their workflow digitalization             •   Aircond Network
       / SMEs who service the            project, will be able to assess           •   Applied Materials
semiconductor industry, namely           other problems or opportunities           •   Denselight
Kinetics, Richport and Aircond           for further improvement.                  •   GlobalFoundries
Network, to understand the                                                         •   Infineon
challenges that they faced to            With this learning, the committee         •   Kinetics
support the Fab Operations during        wants to extend this improvement          •   Micron
the pandemic. It was concluded that      experience to other local SME suppliers   •   Richport
automation and digitalisation will       supporting our Semiconductor              •   Singapore Semiconductor
help to improve their productivity       industry. Semiconductor Business              Industry Association
by at least 20%, making the tasks        Connect 2021 is the platform to
less manual and repetitive, thus         support this sharing with the rest of            SOURCE OF CONTENTS
improving customers’ support,            the network - Riding the wave of
as well as making the role more          Industry 4.0 towards Intelligent
appealing to attract local talents to    Manufacturing. Inviting the network
take up jobs in the industry.            to ride along this transformation.

24   Singapore Semiconductor Voice      Vol 15
GROWING THE SEMICONDUCTOR ECOSYSTEM

Partnering
                                       Another fully customized solution           adopts an agile and nimble strategy
                                       is the Autonomous Smart Detector            based on customers’ needs.
                                       (ASD). Mounting their proprietary

with
                                       array of advanced sensors onto              Their strong local partnerships
                                       any type of AGV, the ASD can be             also enable them to overcome
                                       programmed to patrol any area               supply challenges, considerably

Industry for
                                       within a factory across different           reducing lead time – a key
                                       terrains. Equipped with Innowave            concern for the industry today.
                                       Tech’s advanced computer vision             They also participated in several
                                       technology, the ASD detects various         important SSIA programs, like the

Success
                                       environment and equipment                   SSIA Automation Supplier Day for
                                       conditions, including flooding and          business matching and Professional
                                       smoke.                                      Conversion Program (PCP) upskill/
                                                                                   reskill initiatives, allowing them
                                                                                   to stay deeply engaged with the
As Singapore begins the process                                                    industry.
of booting up her economy,
the need for strategic, long-                                                      Innowave Tech understands what it
term partnerships between                                                          means to prove to their customers
semiconductor manufacturers                                                        that in such challenging times, they
and their suppliers is now more                                                    are in it together. With increasing
critical than ever.                                                                collaboration with customers
                                                                                   and suppliers, they are in a great

I
    nnowave Tech understands                                                       position to continue supporting the
    the seriousness of this                                                        semiconductor industry.
    shift – speed is critical and
any business that can lead the         Fig. 1 Autonomous Smart Detector
pack early will ultimately reap
significant rewards. As such, they     A significant result of their
have partnered with their customers    partnerships with key industry
(manufacturing Fabs, OSAT, IDM)        members is the development of
to develop customized end-to-end       their Automatic Optical Inspection
products and solutions that not only   (AOI) tools. Leveraging on their
address customers’ pain points,        domain expertise in computer
but more importantly provide key       vision and automation, Innowave
strategic advantages.                  Tech has developed and retrofitted
                                       several types of AOI tools - based
These include their popular            on incredibly specific customers’
InnoGlas, an augmented reality         requirements! These include defect
(AR) smart glasses solution that,      types, defect sizes, UPH, wafer
among many custom computer             sizes, macro and micro inspection,
vision applications, enables remote    with full integration to their
collaboration/assistance.              enterprise systems.
                                                                                   Fig. 2 Automated Macro/Micro
Remote assistance allows Fab or        While their experience in fab               inspection station
tool vendors’ engineers to monitor     operations and technology
and assist technicians from            development cannot be denied, the                 SOURCE OF CONTENTS
anywhere in the world. Engineers       key factor in winning support from
are no longer required to be on-site   customers is their flexibility. From
for troubleshooting, maintenance,      product design and deployment
and repairs, greatly improving time    timeline to business models and
and cost efficiency.                   payment methods, Innowave Tech

                                                                          Vol 15     Singapore Semiconductor Voice   25
GROWING THE SEMICONDUCTOR ECOSYSTEM

Cross Fab Visit GlobalFoundries and ST (17 Feb)

“Coming Together is the
 Beginning. Keeping Together
 is Progress. Working
Together is Success.”                                                     Cross Fab Visit Skyworks and ST (3 Mar
                                                                          and 10 Mar)

                                                                          Building a new advanced fully
  The Automation and Robotics Consortium                                  automated Fab is not an easy feat.
                                                                          Converting an existing fully installed
                                                                          200mm Fab to be autonomous
Back in 2014, the Automation and Robotics Consortium was started by       automated is a whole new set of
GlobalFoundries Singapore, SSMC and ST Microelectronics, with the         challenges due to fully build up
publication of the white paper and further expanded to today’s many       space constraint. SSMC shared that
more companies joining it, with the common vision to share Industrial     they have overcome the challenge
4.0 automation and robotics learning across Manufacturing Fabs in         and upgraded the Automated
Singapore. Seven years have progressed and the team is continuing its     Material Handling System (AMHS) in
strong momentum with great collaborations across the semiconductor        their 200mm line. It was remarkable
industry, to collectively improve the productivity of the Fabs here.      to see the engineering innovation
                                                                          that goes into the realization

T
        o begin, GlobalFoundries took the lead to showcase its success    of robotics connectivity and
        stories on the implementation of wireless, self-charging AMRs     automation integration. The new
        (Autonomous Mobile Robots) running on its 200mm manufacturing     AMHS transforms production lots
floor. The members re-iterated that this sharing was for the common       movement within machines, across
good of the semiconductor community, not to restrict the use of the       tools and bays, between the main
IP application, so as not to reinvent the wheel. Through the years, the   fab and the cleanroom extensions.
companies have been very munificent with sharing of their experiences,    This significantly optimized the shop
organizing cross Fab visits, fostering exchange of ideas for innovation   floor efficiency while increasing
and improvement. The consortium currently consists of companies like      manpower productivity and
GlobalFoundries, HP Inc, Lumileds, Qualcomm RF360, Siltronic, Skyworks,   manufacturing quality. To make
SSMC and STMicroelectronics; and supporting partners EDB and SSIA.        things happen, they emphasize not

26    Singapore Semiconductor Voice      Vol 15
GROWING THE SEMICONDUCTOR ECOSYSTEM

only on the integrated approach         AI-powered
of the Industry 4.0 technologies,       software
but also the strategic partnership      solution
and strong collaboration with           for defect
automation suppliers and partners,      review and
including academia.                     classification
                                        for yield
In another meeting, Mr Dominic          acceleration
Tay, Engineering Director of            and quality
STMicroelectronics shared on STM        improvement
implementation of in-process            in the Fabs,
control, to monitor and optimize the    OSATs,
line performance. It was amazing        and IDMs.
how the team used STM’s control         Ms Akanksha Jagwani, SixSense               Dr Marvin Lee, Vice President,
box STM32, with various types of        co-founder and CEO, presented the           Semiconductors of Singapore
IoT sensors, enabling readout of        implementation journey of classifAI         Economic Development Board,
process output to control the line      (Auto Defect Classification) at             commented: “It is remarkable to
performance. The inline control         GlobalFoundries fabs in Singapore.          see how different players in the
was not only implemented in the         It was highly encouraging to deep           local semiconductor industry are
production line, but also extended      dive on follow-up topics such as            capable of self-organizing and
to the facility with real-time          how to make the data AI-ready,              coming together during this industry
detection. Everyone was curious         transfer learnings from a fab to            upcycle, when competition is keen,
how STM set up such a team for this     another of an organization, and the         to share best practices in addressing
in-line real-time process control       cloud deployment compatibility              various technical challenges. This
transformation. It was done by their    of classifAI. Hope this session             demonstrates the desire amongst
internal team, who learnt and trial     encourages other fabs to also               our industry players to create a
on the job. As they progress and gain   embark on the AI journey and                win-win environment for everyone
success for each process in-line        automate their defect classification        and speaks to the maturity of
control, they extend and build on       using the best of the machine and           our local ecosystem. The regular
the learning to the next process. It    human world.                                cross-sharing sessions also serve as
is important that the leader and the                                                a useful platform for local solution
team have the vision and passion to     Mr Cedric Poirel, Director of               providers to showcase their tools
make it happen. Kudo to the team.       Engineering at Qualcomm RF360,              and capabilities, fostering greater
                                        finds the consortium helpful;               partnerships with the MNCs through
This is also a wonderful                as a platform for knowledge                 technology adoption.”
platform where suppliers were           sharing on challenges and best
invited to share their solutions        practice, with professionals                This Automation and Robotics
to fix customer’s problems.             from the same industry. After               Consortium is a wonderful platform
GlobalFoundries invited SixSense,       the meeting, he was able to                 to share with the rest of our
a startup company that offers an        trigger some actions like starting          Semiconductor network. Appreciate
                                                potential collaboration with        the technical leaders from the
                                                the company SixSense on             various companies, their leadership
                                                Artificial Intelligence applied     and collaboration, driving towards
                                                to Auto Defect Classification.      Industry 4.0 transformation, striding
                                                He was thankful to the              forward to bigger success.
                                                team for organizing such a
                                                consortium, which is very
                                                open and flexible.                        SOURCE OF CONTENTS

                                               Not forgetting to mention                    Automation and
                                               the support rendered by                    Robotics Consortium
                                               EDB to the consortium.

                                                                           Vol 15     Singapore Semiconductor Voice    27
CEI is a valued EMS partner to many Fortune 500 corporations and leading technology companies.

Our focus is on high-mix, mid-to-low-volume contract manufacturing services (PCBA, Cable Harness, Box Build,
Equipment Build, Control/Electrical Panel) and equipment integration. CEI also designs and builds wafer
handling equipment as an OEM and provides custom automation solutions.

CEI Pte Ltd design and build its own brand of equipment as an OEM to meet the semiconductor manufacturing
industry needs for automation, hands off production, with a focus on wafer handling using robotics - Such as
Equipment Front-End Module (EFEM), Wafer Sorter/Packing and Unpacking Systems, Wafer UV Eraser
Systems, Wafer Macro & Micro Inspection Systems, 3rd Optical Inspection Systems and AMR/AMT –
autonomous mobile robot material handler/transporter. CEI Pte Ltd also takes on customized automation
project, working closely with customer’s equipment team to realize their automation needs.

Contacts
TY Heng (PCBA)

E-mail: hengty@cei.com.sg Phone +65 6481 1882

Joseph Tan (Equipment Manufacturing and Cable Harness)

E-mail: tansm@cei.com.sg Phone +65 6481 1882

Sabu Mohd Ayub (CEI Proprietary Equipment)

E-mail: ayub@cei.com.sg Phone +65 9845 8786

Low Teck Ming (CEI Proprietary Equipment)

E-mail: lowtm@cei.com.sg Phone +65 9618 3274

www.cei.com.sg

 ISO9001:2015    ISO14001:2015     AS9100D      ISO13485:2016     Electronics AC7120       UL508A
Deionized Water Recycling Unit

DWR1722
Ultra-compact DI water recycling unit with extraordinary energy
and water conservation
Multi-function ultra-compact DI water recycling unit
The DWR1722 is a DI water recycling unit for dicing saws with functions for
DI water production, water temperature adjustment, filtration, and removal of
suspended solids such as cutting particles.

Providing environmentally friendly performance
The high recycle rate (99.5% with zero wastewater) exceeds what is possible
with conventional recycling units and greatly reduces city water
consumption. Since this unit can be installed adjacent to dicing saws, piping
can be shortened and water temperature fluctuations as the water runs
through the piping can be minimized.

Enabling efficient introduction into your facility
Different from the conventional large scale DI water recycling facilities, this
unit can be introduced efficiently in accordance with the number of dicing
saws installed. For the DWR1722, the RO unit and other functions have been
reclassified as options, for a simplified standard specification.
                                                                                                                                     DWR1722

                                                                                                                                     CC Filter

                                                                                       Easy maintenance: The CC Filter and ion
                                                                                       exchange resin can be replaced with a one-touch
                                                                                       coupler connection.

                                                                                       CC Filter:       The DISCO original CC Filter provides
                                                                                       both high filtration performance and long life time.
                                DWR1722                                                Suspended solids filtered out by the CC Filter can be
                                                                                       disposed of easily together with the filter.

                                                                                       Easy operation: Operation of the DWR1722 can
                                                                                       be linked with a dicing saw (optional). This reduces the
                                                                                       load on the operator and the possibility of human error

* Notes: - A separate water supply at a controlled temperature is necessary in order to cool the chiller unit. The DWR1722 can handle two dual
spindle dicing saws or four single spindle dicing saws. When producing DI water from city water, an RO film unit (option) is required. For further
information please contact your local sales representatives.

                                       www.disco.co.jp                                                        Contact :- DHSsales@discosin.com.sg
Power of Choice
Modern laser technology can achieve outstanding results in almost any
manufacturing process while making it efficient use of resources. When it comes
to developing new products, you can rely on light to provide the right tool for your
production environment. With its long history in laser sources for manufacturing,
TRUMPF has developed lasers, optics and processes for a wide variety of industries.

Lasers can be used for “hot” processes as continuous wave and nano second lasers
as well as for “cold” processes with femto and pico second lasers. Different wave
lengths rounding up the flexibility of TRUMPF lasers to find the sharpest tool for your
manufacturing needs.

                                                 Endless Opportunities : Semicon Spotlight
                                                 Join us in our Semicon Spotlight, focusing on photonic technologies in the
                                                 semicon industry. Register for the event via the QR code and experience
                                                 presentations on the fascinating technologies of the semicon industry,
                                                 insightful discussions and live chats with our experts on
                                                 27th July, 2021 from 2 PM to 4 PM.

                                                 www.trumpf.com
GROWING THE SEMICONDUCTOR ECOSYSTEM

Enabling                                R&D investment around 10% of
                                        equipment sales for many years.
                                        This has helped make us a partner of
                                                                               miniaturization with performance,
                                                                               and we have methodically built up
                                                                               the industry’s most comprehensive

the Digital
                                        choice, and innovation has been key    product portfolio of AP solutions
                                        to our success.                        across our portfolio. These support
                                                                               a whole spectrum of customer

World
                                        Our progress is guided by a simple,    needs, including 2.5D, 3D-IC, fan-in
                                        compelling Vision - “Enabling          and fan-out wafer-level packaging,
                                        The Digital World”, capturing the      and system-in-package (SiP).
                                        key role we play in enabling the       Our AP solutions are delivering
                  ASMPT serves a        manufacture of many of the 21st        industry leading capabilities to
                  diverse array of      century’s key technologies.            customers, who serve in high end
                  industry-leading                                             end-user markets like CPU, GPU,
                  semiconductor         Our two business segments -            XPU and SiP applications.
                  and electronics       Semiconductor Solutions (ICD,
                  manufacturers         Optoelectronics & CIS) and SMT         Optoelectronics (LEDs)
Robin Ng, Group   globally. As the      Solutions (Printing & Placement)
CEO, ASM Pacific leading global         - have strong leadership positions     With LED technology in displays
Technology        hardware and          and provide a uniquely well-           from the smallest wearables to
(ASMPT)           software solutions    positioned portfolio for customers     largest video walls, the market
provider for semiconductor              globally, helping them experience      is demanding better and sharper
and electronics assembly, our           superior value from our solutions      picture quality across the board.
customers (chipmakers, foundries,       and services.                          ASMPT is a major player in Mini/
IDMs, fabless, OSATs and more)                                                 MicroLED technology space,
use our tools to manufacture            Let me highlight a couple of these.    our broad suite of solutions
the many complex electronic                                                    positioned to capture significant
components in all modern                ASMPT’s AP solutions                   market opportunities when they
electronic and computing devices.                                              fully actualise.
A typical smartphone can contain        These are helping create the vital
components enabled by no less           components powering large, high-       ࡟ MiniLEDs - our innovation has
than six of our product lines,          growth application areas such as:        focused on developing high-
from mainstream bonders,                                                         accuracy machines that enable
CIS tools, LED tools, to various        ࡟ Automotive electrification – in        ultra-small die processing
Advanced Packaging (AP) solutions         CPU, GPU and XPU                       capability in both laser
that intricately create, combine        ࡟ Data Centres, high-speed               singulation and die placement.
and connect the many modules              computing, cloud computing & AI        This is compelling for meeting
and systems serving various             ࡟ GPUs for increasingly advanced         increasingly demanding product
device functions.                         Virtual Reality and Augmented          requirements for automotive
                                          Reality devices                        displays, computer notebooks,

W
            e have progressively        ࡟ Complex components within              and TV & video wall applications.
            developed various             smart wearable devices                 Some key customers in Asia are
            pioneering technologies     ࡟ Others: including 5G                   entering into mass incorporation of
and solutions, often partnering           infrastructure, factory robotics,      our technology into their products.
very closely with customers. Within       telemedicine, and connected          ࡟ MicroLED represents next-
our 2,000 strong global R&D team          homes                                  generation display capabilities
across 11 R&D centres worldwide                                                  with many advantages over
(with Singapore a major R&D node),      Advanced Packaging (AP)                  traditional LCD technology, e.g.
we have generated more than 1500                                                 significantly greater contrast,
technology patents (and counting).      A wide range of current and              response, durability and
                                        potential AP markets are enabled         especially energy efficiency.
Our consistent commitment to            by ASMPT’s AP solutions. AP              Presently expensive and slow
R&D is clear, with our average          technologies help balance                to produce, our innovation has

32   Singapore Semiconductor Voice     Vol 15
GROWING THE SEMICONDUCTOR ECOSYSTEM

                                                                                    involves infusing AI capabilities
                                                                                    into ‘smart assembly lines’ that
                                                                                    enable equipment to independently
                                                                                    examine and analyse data, make
                                                                                    decisions and act based on those
                                                                                    decisions. At highest level, this will
                                                                                    deliver data-driven closed-loop
                                                                                    insights and automation without
                                                                                    human intervention.

                                                                                    The core of our AIoT platform
                                                                                    is a software engine that uses
                                                                                    advanced machine learning
                                                                                    algorithms and ASMPT’s own AI
                                                                                    edge node capabilities to process
                                                                                    manufacturing data and unlock
                                                                                    a range of benefits. We are
                                                                                    progressively integrating
                                                                                    AIoT solutions into our broad
                                                                                    product portfolio.
ASMPT's AI of Things Approach
                                                                                    Looking Ahead

                                                                                    ASMPT’s exposure to long-
                                                                                    term sustainable market trends
                                                                                    towards increased silicon content
                                                                                    across devices and systems, e.g.
                                                                                    5G infrastructure, automotive
                                                                                    electrification, consumer
                                                                                    electronics, industrial systems,
ASMPT’s Ubiquity and Growing Demand Across Key End-Market Applications              computers, displays, will help
                                                                                    fuel growth, with our solutions
  focused on developing mass (‘gang’) bonding methods that enable                   increasingly used for new
  quality at significant scale, to the order of thousands or even millions of       market applications.
  units (depending on dice size/pitch) in a single pass process. Another
  example of innovation is our process control capability that allows               Our position in core markets,
  extraordinary yield values of up to 99.9999%. We are working with some            commitment to innovation and
  key players this area.                                                            enduring customer relationships
                                                                                    bode well for our future. In this
Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT)                                            journey, we will always be looking
                                                                                    for good people to join us. I believe
Our deep, broad industry process experience and expertise makes us                  we are just at the cusp of an era
uniquely positioned to develop a compelling proposition for electronics             of massive connectivity, speed,
manufacturing to leverage growing opportunities for AI and advanced data            and possibility.
analytics to support digitisation efforts in manufacturing.
                                                                                           SOURCE OF CONTENTS
With some IoT capabilities already in our smart manufacturing solutions, we
worked with some customers to connect their production lines to integrate
information collection and analysis.

Marrying these capabilities with machine learning, ASMPT’s ‘AI of Things’
approach represents a fundamental paradigm shift in manufacturing. It

                                                                           Vol 15     Singapore Semiconductor Voice     33
GROWING THE SEMICONDUCTOR ECOSYSTEM

                                                                                                      In recent news, chip shortage
                                   World Class Full Turn Key                                          continues to dent new electric
                                                                                                      vehicle rollout, what is your
                                   WLCSP Solution Provider                                            view of the demand and supply
                                                                                                      of semiconductor?

                                                                                                      Asif: The market clearly
                                                                                                      underestimated the demand for
                                                                                                      semiconductors, especially for the
                                                                                                      automotive sector. The automotive
                                                                                                      market took a significant hit
                                                                                                      during the first half of 2020 due
                                                                                                      to COVID19 but the fast recovery
                                                                                                      during the second half caught many
                                                                                                      by surprise. The semiconductor
                                                                                                      companies were also unprepared
                                                                                                      for the recent acceleration of the
                                                                                                      sales of electric vehicles. With the
                                                                                                      demand surging from almost all
                                                                                                      other market segments as well,
                                                                                                      the whole semiconductor supply
                                                                                                      chain is struggling to keep up with
                                                                                                      the demand not only from the
                                                                                                      automotive customers but across
                                                                                                      almost all product markets.

                                                                                                      Interestingly, COVID19 had
                                                                                                      some unintended and perhaps
                                                                                                      unforeseen, positive consequences
                                                                                                      for some of the key sectors of
                                                                                                      the semiconductor market. As
                                                                                                      companies implemented ‘working
                                                                                                      from home’ policy for better part of
                                                        Scan to view our website,
                                                                  utacgroup.com
                                                                                                      2020, which is still being continued
                                                                                                      in most countries, it requires
                                                                                                      employees to have PCs and laptops,

Enabling WLCSP Full Turnkey
                                                                                                      significantly increasing the sale of
 UTAC-2021-CSRAdvert-10Feb-FA.indd 1                                                10/2/21 4:01 PM

                                                                                                      PCs and peripheral equipment. In
                                                                                                      2020, 275 million PCs were shipped,

Solution Within The Island
                                                                                                      almost a 5% increase from 2019 -
                                                                                                      highest year over year growth for PC
                                                                                                      shipment during the last ten years.
                                                                                                      Similarly, due to travel restrictions,
Asif Chowdhury is the Senior Vice President of                                                        people staying at home got more
Marketing and Corporate Business Development at                                                       involved in on-line shopping, social
UTAC Group located in Singapore. He is also the head                                                  media and watching TV series and
of UTAC Japan, in charge of Japan sales and business                                                  movies in outlets such as Netflix
development. Over thirty years of experience in the                                                   and Amazon, soaring the demand
semiconductor industry, he has worked in various                                                      for servers and storage which in turn
aspects of semiconductor assembly and test industry including                                         created a significant demand in
package design and development, product and business line                                             semiconductor devices, particularly
management, R&D and business development.                                                             for power products. This created

34       Singapore Semiconductor Voice         Vol 15
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