Speech by Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Trade and Industry & Ministry of National Development at Trek 2000’s 18th Anniversary of Partnership with Toshiba Corporation & New Product Launch on Friday, 7 December 2012, 7.45pm, Grand Park Hotel City Hall
Mr Henn Tan
Chairman & CEO, Trek 2000
Mr Seah Moon Meng
Vice Chairman, Trek 2000,
Mr Kiyoshi Kobayashi
President and CEO
Semiconductor & Storage Products Company
Toshiba Corporation
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good evening. Thank you for inviting me to be part of this evening’s celebration.
Semiconductors is a vibrant industry in Singapore
The semiconductor industry is a resilient and vibrant industry in Singapore. It is a major employer and also accounts for almost half of the private sector R&D spending in the manufacturing sector in 2011. The industry also enjoys fairly good growth prospects. According to the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics Organization, 55% of global semiconductor revenues originates from Asia.
Many semiconductor companies are responding to these opportunities by expanding in the region. In Singapore, 7 of the global top 10 fabless semiconductor companies have established their international business here1.
Singapore aims to be a centre of innovation for the semiconductor industry
The presence of many leading semiconductor companies in Singapore has added to the critical mass of companies here. They have also strengthened an ecosystem conducive to the formation of inter-company partnerships. The partnership we see here this evening, between Trek 2000 and Toshiba is one sterling example. When two strong firms work together, they will also enhance the collective competitiveness of our industry.
The government welcomes such partnership. We want to continue enhancing our environment favorable to firms carrying out leading- edge semiconductor R&D and product development projects.
One initiative to increase the pool of R&D talent is the S$70 million Industrial Postgraduate Program. Under this program, the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) will provide full scholarships to 200 students to pursue their PhDs while being attached to corporate semiconductor R&D labs in Singapore.
Another initiative focuses on helping companies accelerate time-to-market through industrial R&D collaborations between firms and local research institutes. For instance, the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) at the Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR) recently announced a collaboration with Hitachi Chemical to jointly conduct R&D on 3-dimensional integrated circuit packaging. This emerging technology could lead to more effective production of the multi-functional and smaller chips demanded by the market.
Our focus to build semiconductor R&D capabilities has begun to bear fruit. Singapore’s talents have started helping firms develop new products. For example, in Infineon’s Application Innovation Centre, Singaporean and international scientists work together to develop unique applications in electric-mobility and renewable energies for the Asian markets.
Conclusion
The story of Trek 2000 is also a story of passion. The passion of Mr Henn Tan and your team of talented people in innovation, value creation, and setting of new standards for the markets Trek2000 seeks to serve. As a home-grown company, Trek 2000 has every reason to be proud of yourselves and your achievements.
It is my pleasure therefore to add my heartiest congratulations to Trek 2000, to your leadership and staff, on the launch of the innovative new product. My congratulations also go to your growing partnership with Toshiba. I wish you every success. Thank you, and have an enjoyable evening.
1 Source: EDB