Question

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what are the primary strategic objectives of the National Gallium Nitride Technology Centre in terms of technological advancement, economic impact and international collaboration; (b) what is the current stage of the Centre’s development; (c) how will the Centre integrate with educational institutions and the existing semiconductor industry to offer practical experience and training in gallium nitride technologies; and (d) how will the success of the Centre be measured or evaluated.

Written Answer by Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong

1. Gallium Nitride is an emerging material for semiconductor chips. Singapore is setting up the National Gallium Nitride Technology Centre which will feature technology developed by Nanyang Technological University and DSO National Laboratories, and support companies with prototyping and commercialisation.

2. The Centre is being fitted out now and we expect it to become operational next year.

3. The Centre will prioritise growing the talent base for Singapore in this field, through involving students from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) in the Centre’s research projects. Over time, we expect the Centre to nurture a healthy pipeline of research scientists and engineers in this growing field.

4. The Centre aims to stimulate R&D and manufacturing of Gallium Nitride devices and promote collaboration between industry and academia to generate new Intellectual Property. It will also provide access to shared infrastructure that they might not have been able to develop on their own. These outcomes will contribute towards Singapore’s Manufacturing 2030 vision and create high value jobs for Singaporeans.