UK Innovation Zones

UKIZ Zone · potential location: The Cardiff–Swansea corridor

Wales

Semiconductors, green technology and cyber

Proposed by UKIZ · not a government designation

The zone

01THE MISSION

Protect and extend a genuinely rare British capability in compound semiconductors, and connect it to green technology and software engineering capacity.

02WHY IT MATTERS

  • A protected and expanded sovereign semiconductor capability
  • Supply chain formed around fabrication rather than around a single plant
  • Export of components into global technology supply chains

A scaled analogue of the Taiwanese semiconductor corridor.

03WHY THIS LOCATION

  • A unique compound semiconductor capability.
  • Strong applied research.
  • Lower cost for scaling engineering teams.
  • Growing cyber and AI activity.

04EXISTING STRENGTHS

  • Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult
  • Cardiff University
  • Technology ecosystems in Swansea and Cardiff

05WHO BELONGS HERE

  • Semiconductor manufacturers and designers
  • Green technology developers
  • Software engineering teams
  • Industrial and sovereign-capability investors

06INDUSTRIES

  • Compound semiconductors
  • Green technology
  • Cybersecurity
  • Software engineering

07UNIVERSITIES & RESEARCH

  • Cardiff University
  • Swansea University

08INFRASTRUCTURE

  • Semiconductor fabrication and packaging
  • Materials characterisation
  • Energy capacity for fabrication
  • Engineering skills programmes

09THE COMMERCIALISATION PATH

  1. Research
  2. Problem
  3. Prototype
  4. Company
  5. Capital
  6. Customer
  7. Scale
  8. Export

10WHAT SUCCESS COULD CREATE

  • A protected and expanded sovereign semiconductor capability
  • Supply chain formed around fabrication rather than around a single plant
  • Export of components into global technology supply chains

Described as outcomes rather than forecasts. UKIZ makes no projections it cannot evidence.

Get involved

What are you working on?

If this mission is your world — as a founder, researcher, operator, investor or institution — tell us what you could contribute and what you need.

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What can you contribute?
What do you need?
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