Silicon summit to set vision for Newport's semiconductor industry

We have an independent spirit. We are a growing city. And we make something the UK and the world needs a lot more of – compound semiconductors.

With the right support, Newport can be a powerhouse in the UK and Welsh economies. Silicon can be our new steel.

We already have the UK's biggest semiconductor manufacturing facility*, at Newport Wafer Fab.

It was, therefore, a major disappointment when the city’s freeport status bid was rejected last month.

The bid was an imaginative one, seeking to tie in Newport’s silicon expertise with Cardiff Airport’s potential to open-up global trade and connections.

The city council’s research had suggested freeport status could bring 24,000 jobs to the city and surrounding area.

Both the council leader Jane Mudd and leader of the opposition Matthew Evans voiced their obvious disappointment at the time.

We cannot allow the setback to be the end of it. The semiconductor opportunity is too big for Newport and wider Gwent to miss out on.

Vaughan Gething (left) with Rick Wallace, chief executive of KLA Corporation. (Image: Welsh Government) (Image: Welsh Government)

There was some good news when the Welsh Government announced support for US firm KLA Corporation’s expansion plans at its Duffryn base.

But Newport and the wider region need everyone to pull together to build a strong economy and grasp this silicon opportunity.

That’s why the South Wales Argus is today publicly inviting key stakeholders in the region and both national governments, including the Secretary of State for Wales David Davies and the Welsh Economy Minister Vaughan Gething, to join us around the table and work on a vision and a plan to move forward.

Secretary of State for Wales and Monmouth MP David Davies

We understand the need to be able to exchange views frankly, and the key discussions at this proposed Silicon Sumit will be behind closed doors at first to give all sides room to share ideas.

The compound semiconductor market is worth hundreds of billions of dollars globally.

We want to see the Welsh Government and UK Government sit down with the leaders of Newport, Monmouthshire, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly Borough councils, the Western Gateway partnership and other key stakeholders to recognise the scale and urgency of this opportunity.

We hope that, like us, they are all prepared to sit down and discuss how we can use this opportunity to ensure prosperity for Newport, south-east Wales and beyond.

Newport has a proud history. It can have a proud future too.

Editor's note: This article has been amended to remove a reference to compound semiconductors in relation to the Newport Wafer Fab / Nexperia site. The site is the UK's largest silicon semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility but does not make compound semiconductors.