Sarawak’s Semiconductor Roadmap 2030 is a state-led plan to build local semiconductor capabilities and strengthen the region’s place in global technology supply chains. Its early steps include a UK collaboration on chiplet and heterogeneous-integration technologies, an R&D hub in Newport, partnerships with two other UK-linked organisations, and the unveiling of an AI-enabled power converter called keteq.ai. These are announced initiatives, not evidence that Sarawak has already become a global semiconductor hub.
What is Sarawak’s Semiconductor Roadmap 2030?
The roadmap is SMD Semiconductor’s stated blueprint for developing Sarawak’s semiconductor and advanced-electronics capabilities. SMD Chairman Dato Sri Dr. Haji Wan Lizozman Bin Wan Omar presented it during a UK mission led by Sarawak Premier Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Haji Openg on 29 April 2025. SMD announced the mission and agreements on 15 May 2025.
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The announcement frames the plan around advanced electronics, green technology and digital innovation. It also presents a strategic case for connecting UK innovation capabilities with Sarawak’s cost competitiveness, renewable-energy supply and skilled workforce, with the aim of becoming a resilient second source in global semiconductor supply. The announcement does not quantify those advantages or provide production, investment or job targets.
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What agreements did Sarawak’s delegation make with UK partners?
SMD announced three partner arrangements. They address technology evaluation, startup and commercialisation support, and services; the announcement does not disclose financial terms or detailed delivery milestones.
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| Partner | Announced arrangement | Stated focus |
|---|---|---|
| Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult | Joint technology and market-evaluation study | Chiplets and heterogeneous integration using compound semiconductor and silicon |
| Silicon Catalyst UK | Strategic partnership | Specific activities were not stated in the announcement |
| 5G3i Ltd | Service agreement | Specific services were not stated in the announcement |
These arrangements are evidence of partnership-building, but the announcement does not establish that any resulting technology has entered commercial production or that customers have committed to buy it.
What is the CSA Catapult partnership?
The CSA Catapult arrangement is focused on assessing technology and market potential for chiplets and heterogeneous integration that combine compound semiconductors with silicon. These approaches can bring different kinds of semiconductor components together in a system, but SMD’s announcement describes a study rather than a completed product or manufacturing programme.
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SMD’s Newport R&D Innovation Hub is located at the CSA Catapult Innovation Centre. The stated collaboration aims to support advanced chip design, prototyping, manufacturing, Edge AI and skills development. CSA Catapult CEO Raj Gawera said the partners intend to develop technology for next-generation Edge AI devices, as AI computing expands beyond data centres to edge devices.
What is keteq.ai?
Keteq.ai is SMD’s AI-enabled power converter, demonstrated and soft-launched during the mission. The company describes its intended applications as grid energy management, AI-enabled devices, data-centre operations, smart grid-forming inverters and high-performance motor drives.
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SMD attributes to the device the ability to detect, predict and correct system errors in “less than one-tenth of a millisecond.” That is a company-reported performance claim: the 15 May 2025 announcement does not provide an independent test report or test conditions. The announcement does not identify keteq.ai as a retail product or provide a price, availability date or customer deployment information.
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The announced strategy links several parts of an ecosystem rather than relying on a single factory or product: local capability-building, overseas technology relationships, design and prototyping activity, skills development, and a proposed energy-and-cost proposition for manufacturers. The Newport hub provides a location for collaboration with UK researchers and technology developers, while the roadmap sets out a broader ambition for Sarawak.
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Whether this becomes a durable global semiconductor base will depend on execution beyond the announcements: whether evaluations lead to usable designs, whether prototypes progress toward production, whether companies and skilled workers join the ecosystem, and whether supply-chain customers adopt products made or developed there. The announcement provides no quantified comparison with other semiconductor regions on technology scope, production stage, ecosystem depth, energy costs or customer access.
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- Established in the announcement: SMD’s UK mission took place on 29 April 2025, was led by Sarawak’s Premier, and included the roadmap presentation, partner arrangements, a Newport hub and a keteq.ai demonstration.
- Still to be demonstrated: commercial-scale manufacturing, independent validation of keteq.ai’s speed claim, customer adoption, and measurable progress against roadmap targets. The announcement does not supply those results.
Source: SMD Semiconductor’s 15 May 2025 announcement.
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