MUSCAT: A delegation representing Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing sector recently wrapped up week-long talks aimed at exploring opportunities for collaboration in this strategically important high-tech sector.
According to a report by CNA, the national news agency of Taiwan, the visit was organised by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Oman. The delegation met with officials from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology and the Oman Investment Authority (OIA), which are jointly leading Oman’s effort to kindle the development of an advanced semiconductor-based sector in the country. Talks between the two sides focused on investment and cooperation not only in the field of semiconductors but also Artificial Intelligence.
Four key players in Taiwan’s semiconductor sector – ULVAC Taiwan Inc, MSScorps Co, LTD, eMemory Technology Incand Global Unichip Corp – were represented on the delegation. They were accompanied by officials from the Minghsin University of Science and Technology in Hsinchu. Significantly, Mingshin University, along with the National Chung Hsing University in Taichung, is currently hosting a group of 22 Omani students on a fortnight-long training workshop on semiconductor technology.
During their week-long stay in Oman, the Taiwanese delegation also visited the National University of Science and Technology, the German University of Technology (GUtech) and the University of Nizwa. An agreement was also signed by Mingshin University with the University of Nizwa, which is at the forefront of semiconductor training and R&D in Oman.
Given Taiwan’s status as a global semiconductor manufacturing powerhouse, any collaborative arrangement has the potential to unlock immense benefits for Oman. Taiwan currently accounts for over 60 per cent of the world's semiconductor production. The country hosts numerous semiconductor facilities, which collectively contribute to a substantial 15 per cent of its GDP.
Significantly, the latest visit comes amid rising optimism about prospects for a thriving domestic semiconductor industry taking shape in Oman. Fuelling that promise is the ongoing development of a 100,000-tonne per annum capacity polysilicon project at SOHAR Port and Freezone for $1.6 billion. Promoted by Oman-based United Solar Holding Inc, the project is expected to provide critical raw material for, among other industries, semiconductor manufacturing in Oman.
Sovereign wealth fund Oman Investment Authority is also playing a pivotal role in the growth of this vital sector. Its ICT investment arm, ITHCA Group, has acquired a strategic stake in US-based semiconductor design and service company, GSME, which has set up an advanced chips design and development lab in Muscat.
Other key international players have also taken an interest in Oman’s potential. Last year, the Oman government hosted a high-level delegation from South Korea’s SK Hynix Inc, the world's second largest semiconductor company, as part of a move to attract major players from the global semiconductor industry to explore opportunities in Oman.
More recently, Invest Oman invited international investors specialising in Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Testing (OSAT) to consider setting up operations in Oman. OSAT refers to companies offering third-party integrated chip (IC) packaging and testing services for silicon devices produced by foundries before they are placed on the market for sale.
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