The development of AI and 5G has boosted the demand for high-end semiconductor chips. To enhance the critical capabilities of Taiwan’s chip industry for this emerging market, the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Taiwan, has supported ITRI to establish the Heterogeneous Integration Chip-let System Package Alliance (Hi-CHIP). This alliance will help create a complete ecosystem covering package design, testing and verification, and pilot production, which will achieve the goal of supply chain localization and expand business opportunities.
According to DoIT, the global semiconductor industry is keen to develop heterogeneous chip integration processes, yet there is no effective solution to realize the high-mix low-volume manufacturing required. The Hi-CHIP alliance will provide a trial production platform to assist relevant industry players in accelerating time-to-market.
To meet the demand for integrating multiple chips onto a miniaturized system-in-package that enhances functionality, a chiplet-based approach can be adopted to solve challenges such as heat dissipation and signal cascading while reducing costs. He emphasized that multi-dimensional chip designs and heterogeneous packaging integration will be the key to the development of the semiconductor industry.
With the support of DoIT, ITRI has started early to develop advanced packaging technology as well as material and equipment upgrades for heterogeneous integration. The new alliance will provide an AIoT system application platform and one-stop services. with the process and testing equipment in place, the industry will scale up its production capacity and enable supply chain localization. Hi-CHIP will also work with international alliances such as AITA and CHIPS to jointly promote the growth of the semiconductor industry.
Members of Hi-CHIP currently include semiconductor heavyweights in Taiwan. It is hoped that the alliance will join hands with supply chain players to create custom orders and strengthen core process capabilities, gaining a cutting-edge in the competitive market.
ITRI is a world-leading applied technology research institute with more than 6,000 outstanding employees. Its mission is to drive industrial development, create economic value, and enhance social well-being through technology R&D. Founded in 1973, it pioneered in IC development and started to nurture new tech ventures and deliver its R&D results to industries.
To innovate a better future, ITRI has drawn up its 2030 Technology Strategy and Roadmap, in which it enhances the development of intelligentisation enabling technologies and focuses on three application domains: Smart Living, Quality Health, and Sustainable Environment. The Institute strives to use technological innovation to shape new lifestyles, develop market-oriented solutions, and find uncontested spaces.
As reported by OpenGov Asia, Taiwan has long been a crucial partner in the global supply chain of semiconductor design and fabrication, typically assembling products for other companies to sell under their own brand. But alongside this industry are a host of homegrown Taiwanese companies manufacturing and marketing their own products globally.
Taiwan’s ITRI stated that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ecosystem of companies is the reason to remain at the cutting-edge of ICT innovation in such a hyper-competitive industry.
Taiwanese tech companies tend to form clusters around various industry subsegments, allowing them to collaborate and rapidly explore possibilities. They find ways to improve on existing technologies and refine manufacturing efficiencies, allowing them to become globally competitive thanks to the speed of iterative innovation.
Yet this ecosystem relies on its people, and Taiwan’s affinity for manufacturing and entrepreneurism is also essential. In Taiwan’s culture, everyone has a motivation to be in control of their own destiny. They also enjoy improving manufacturing processes, not only for ICT but other areas This spirit is a unique aspect of Taiwan that has made the ICT industry as successful as it is today.
