CSconnected is the collective brand for a growing number of advanced semiconductor related activities in Wales, home to a unique community of academic institutions, prototyping facilities and global, high-volume manufacturing capabilities that collaborate across a range of research and innovation programs. CSconnected is uniquely positioned to develop a global advantage in a sovereign, key enabling technology which will allow Wales and the UK to increase trade globally in critical sectors such as 5G communications, autonomous and electric vehicles, advanced medical devices, and consumer electronics of the future.
Since 2017, the South Wales region has benefited from significant investment in the development of the compound semiconductor cluster, with over £350 million directed towards research, development, and innovation (RD&I), skills, and infrastructures. Notably, in 2020, the UK Government announced the first wave of funding through UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund in which a major £43.74M project with South Wales’ compound semiconductor cluster has been approved and will be supported by £25.44M funding from Strength in Places. The project “CSconnected SIPF” is based around integrating research excellence with the unique regional supply chains in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. At the core of the project are four major collaborative R&D programmes: Next generation optical communications and sensing Large Scale GaAs-based wafer manufacturing Novel and efficient CS Wafer Fabrication Tools Advanced processes for 5G and EAV systems. Additionally, the project includes a central coordination activity that represents and promotes the cluster while delivering regional educational and skills capabilities for the sector.
Combined with UKRI and Cardiff Capital Region funding, CSconnected focuses on five key pillars to support sustainable growth, productivity and innovation in the region and beyond.
Research & Development
From “Blue-sky” concept to prototyping and first commercial sampling made in Wales, CSconnected supports and fosters collaborative R&D in the cluster, one of the core activities of the CSconnected project, to enable new compound semiconductor technologies at the heart of the devices of today and tomorrow.
Infrastructure expansion
CSconnected supports organisations seeking to establish or expand in the region. Since the beginning of the project new companies have been attracted to the cluster, taking advantage of the South Wales’ value chain; recent industrial and manufacturing expansions have been driven by their core partners and two new industrial scale state-of the-art facilities at Cardiff University & Swansea University have opened for business leveraging new CS fab facilities.
Open Access
CSconnected are contributing to the UK wide efforts in rapidly expanding vertical sectors reliant on a robust compound semiconductor ecosystem to enhance national sovereign capability and unlock opportunity for new technology and applications. This is reflected in the many projects they support in Quantum Technologies, Power Electronics, Telecoms, and Defence and Security.
Talent Pipeline
CSconnected addresses the skills shortage by working with industry and educational stakeholders to identify skills needed in the sector, attract talent and build a robust talent pipeline. From classroom activities, attendance at careers events to reskilling and upskilling training, they promote education and career awareness by supporting short and long term efforts to increase regional skills capacity and bring practical skills development into the industrial workplace
Global Impact
CSconnected actively engage with Government agencies and organisations to cement their role as a key voice for the semiconductor industry. They regularly meet with and brief policymakers, deliver roundtables with key politicians in Wales, the UK and beyond and facilitate meetings between their partners and key clusters and organisations, creating a pathway to support continuous growth for the cluster.
Primary Contact: info@csconnected.com
Visit their website: CSconnected.com