These meetings involved leading Taiwanese semiconductor firms such as TSMC, Winbond, MediaTek, Foxconn, Powertech, Delta Electronics, and Chipbond.

This year, the UK delegation was notably larger, with double the number of companies attending compared to last year. The British Office in Taipei facilitated the "UK Pavilion" at the event, creating a platform for British firms to display their innovations.

The UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme, funded by the Department for Business & Trade and executed by international consultancy Intralink, played a key role in enabling these companies to explore expansion opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region through its subsidised support.

The seven UK companies were:

• IceMOS Technology – Belfast-based developers of SOI (silicon on insulator) wafers and MEMS SJMOSFETS (micro-electromechanical systems super junction metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors)
• Loadpoint – Swindon-headquartered manufacturers of precision air-bearing and dicing technologies essential for producing silicon wafers and advanced optics
• Gorilla Technology Group – London-based specialists in AI-driven technologies for sectors including smart cities, transportation and healthcare
• ipTEST – Guildford-based innovators in high volume production testers for all types of discrete power semiconductors
• Quantum Science – Warrington-headquartered pioneers of infrared quantum dot technology for fields including electric vehicles, drones and smartphone cameras
• Smartkem – Manchester-based developers of organic semiconductor materials that enable display manufacturers to produce a new generation of lower-cost, higher performing displays
• Thermco Systems – Sussex-based makers of specialised semiconductor production equipment including horizontal diffusion furnaces and expitaxial reactors.

Rami Zakaria, VP of Sales & Marketing at IceMOS Technology Corporation, said: “Taiwan is one of the most important regions for our business in terms of supply chain and customers, and SEMICON Taiwan provided an exceptional opportunity to explore new business opportunities in its thriving semiconductor industry.

“The exhibition, pavilion and other activities created a fantastic environment for networking and helped us uncover valuable openings for growth in Taiwan. We established important business partnerships with several companies and gained contacts at major electronics manufacturers.”

Steve Tillman, General Manager at Loadpoint, said: “I’ve attended many exhibitions, but I’ve never had access to the senior level of visitors from globally-prestigious semiconductor organisations that we had at SEMICON Taiwan. As well as having senior passers-by, the targeted meetings were well structured and a good fit with the way we can serve the Taiwanese market.”

SEMICON Taiwan, held in Taipei from 4-6 September, attracted more than 85,000 delegates from the global semiconductor industry this year. 

His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific, Martin Kent, also launched the latest report from the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme at the expo. Titled ‘Northeast Asia’s Semiconductor Market’, the report examines the chip industry in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, highlighting opportunities for UK companies and providing advice on entering these markets. It is available for free download here.  

The UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme helps UK tech companies expand in South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, as well as Taiwan. Intralink’s teams on the ground in Asia Pacific identify participants’ business opportunities, provide market entry advice and help them sell their products, forge partnerships and raise investment.