Mr SC Chien, Co-President, UMC
Distinguished guests,
1. Good morning. I am happy to join you today at the opening ceremony of UMC’s new wafer fab in Singapore.
2. This event marks not only the expansion of UMC’s presence in Singapore, but also marks a new chapter of a strong, longstanding partnership over the past two decades.
a. Back in 2001, UMC broke ground for a S$6 billion investment to build the first 12-inch wafer fab (“Fab 12i”) in Singapore. That was at the time the single largest manufacturing project in our history, at the height of the global semiconductor downturn.
b. Today, Fab 12i produces about a quarter of UMC’s global 12-inch output, and houses UMC’s Centre of Excellence for 12-inch specialty products.
c. UMC’s activities in Singapore currently provide good jobs for over 1,800 employees, the majority of whom are locals.
d. UMC has also forged close ties with our local industry ecosystem, including over 500 suppliers that support its operations, such as in chemicals and gas management, facilities and maintenance.
3. This new wafer fab will enable UMC to add capacity and capabilities amidst the growing demand for semiconductors.
a. As the critical building blocks of digital systems, semiconductors will be essential to support the drive towards greater connectivity, data processing as well as electrification.
b. With AI, 5G and IoT expected to transform the way we live, work and play, there will be more electronic devices as well as higher semiconductor content in each device.
c. These devices will also require more sophisticated semiconductors that combine computing power with specialty features such as power management, embedded non-volatile memory, data conversion, and miniaturised sensors and actuators.
d. UMC’s new fab will enable it to manufacture both 22 and 28 nanometre chips on specialty technology platforms for end markets including automotive and 5G.
e. This will open up new opportunities for UMC and strengthen our semiconductor industry ecosystem in Singapore.
4. Such win-win partnerships are even more critical today.
a. Amidst an increasingly complex and contested global environment, Singapore remains firmly committed to the fundamentals that have defined our approach to economic growth and development over the decades.
b. These include careful long-term planning; sustained investments in infrastructure; maintaining a pro-business environment; upholding a strong rule of law; and remaining open to trade, investment and talent.
c. These fundamentals help to make us a consistent, trusted and reliable partner to global companies such as UMC.
5. Through these win-win partnerships, we want to support companies to innovate, build new capabilities, and uplift the industry as a whole.
a. In addition to new manufacturing capacity, I am glad to note that the new fab will enable UMC to deepen its R&D capability in Singapore, including next-generation specialty technologies.
b. I hope through these new manufacturing and R&D activities, UMC will also open up new opportunities for our wider semiconductor ecosystem in Singapore, including start-ups, suppliers as well as equipment manufacturers.
c. And last but not least, I hope that UMC will also deepen its partnerships with our Institutes of Higher Learning. These efforts will benefit UMC in building a stronger pipeline of talent to support its operations here, and enable our students to gain industry-relevant experience early.
6. Congratulations once again on the opening of your new fab in Singapore.
7. As a small and open economy, we believe that partnerships anchored on strong fundamentals, trust and mutual benefit are critical to helping our companies grow, so that we can keep our economy strong and vibrant, and create even more opportunities for Singaporeans.
8. We look forward to deepening our partnership with you in the next phase of your growth here in Singapore.
9. Thank you.