Singapore's Semiconductor Industry: A Vibrant Ecosystem
Ng Siew Kiang, Executive Director, Contact Singapore
A world-class technological hub located at
the crossroads of Asia, Singapore is a vibrant
electronics and research and development
(R&D) growth engine, and is home to various
multinational corporations.
The electronics sector is the backbone of
Singapore's manufacturing industry, generating
S$67.9 billion (US$48 billion) in output and
employing about one-fifth (92,000 workers) of
Singapore's total manufacturing workforce.
Figure 1. 2008(p) Manufacturing Value-Added: S$48 billion (US$33 billion)
Source: Economic Development Board
Vibrant Semiconductor Ecosystem with Full Value Chain of Activities
Echoing the story of how Singapore
transformed itself from a third-world country
to a first-world country within the short span of
40 years, it is interesting to see how Singapore
has successfully developed its semiconductor
industry from hosting only one assembly and
test plant in 1968 to the vibrant industry
ecosystem it is today.
Today, Singapore is home to about
40 IC design companies, 14 silicon wafer
fabrication plants and 20 assembly and test
facilities which have employed 40,000 workers
such as IC designers and R&D engineers.
Today, Singapore is ranked second in the
world (behind Hsinchu, Taiwan) in terms of
fabrication capacity.
Other notable achievements include:
- 10.9 percent manufacturing output share of global semiconductor revenue.
- 16 percent share of worldwide fabless semiconductor output.
Many of the world's renowned
semiconductor companies have established
their Asian operations in Singapore. They
include the world's top three foundries (TSMC
through its joint venture with NXP, UMC and
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore (formerly
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing));
nine of the world's top 10 fabless IC design
companies (Broadcom, Qualcomm, Xilinx,
MediaTek, Marvell, Avago, LSI, ST-Ericsson
and NVIDIA); four of the world's top six
subcontract assembly and test companies
(ASE, STATS ChipPAC, UTAC and Amkor);
and leading integrated device manufacturers
(IDMs) (TI, STMicroelectronics, AMD,
Infineon, NXP and Micron).
In addition, it is worth highlighting
the significant progress Singapore's
semiconductor industry has made beyond
manufacturing. Singapore's location at the
heart of Asia places it in close proximity
with Asia's growing semiconductor
customer base and outsourcing partners.
Top semiconductor companies from
across the globe have selected Singapore as
their base for supply chain management,
manufacturing oversight and other regional
headquarter activities. For instance,
Marvell recently announced its newly
expanded 100,000 square meters regional
headquarters facility in Singapore that will
undertake sales, technical support, design,
IC assembly and testing amongst other
functions.
Manufacturing for the Future: Investments in R&D
Singapore is establishing a reputation
for itself as an R&D powerhouse. R&D
spending by the electronics industry in
Singapore increased from S$1.3 billion
(US$0.92 billion) in 2006 to S$2.18
billion (US$1.54 billion) in 2007. Despite
the global downturn, more than 700 new
semiconductor R&D jobs have been created
since 2008, including IC design positions.
Growth in R&D spending has been
driven largely by private firms. For instance,
Infineon invested S$400 million (US$282
million) to boost its R&D activities
in Singapore. And STATS ChipPAC
established an R&D centre to focus on
through-silicon via (TSV) and embedded
die technologies.
A new IC design research centre focused
on "green" microchips and circuits that run
on ultra-low power but perform faster will
also be set up by June 2010. This centre
seeks to build on Singapore's excellence
in IC design, and it will collaborate with
world-renowned universities, top research
institutions and companies such as Agilent
Technologies. It aims to hire at least 20 top-notch
scientists and researchers.
Singapore offers end-to-end R&D
capabilities, including component-level IC
design and semiconductor process R&D;
system-level product design; firmware
development; and industrial design. For
example, Dell and HP use Singapore as a
base for printing, imaging and computer
peripherals design as well as networking
and high-end server design, respectively.
This creates valuable opportunities for
semiconductor companies to work closely
with their systems/original equipment
manufacturing (OEM) customers on
product development, and enable them to
tap into a full range of electronics design
capabilities and talent.
New Growth Areas
The semiconductor market is projected to
continue on its growth path. In a November
2009 press release, global research firm
Gartner forecasted 2010 semiconductor
revenue to bounce back to the 2008 revenue
level at $255 billion, a 13 percent increase
from 2009.
Singapore is committed to developing a
robust and sustainable critical mass of wafer
fabrication plants and promoting IC design
activities from leading IDMs and fabless
companies, particularly in analog/mixed-signal
and radio frequency IC (RFIC)
design, where Singapore already has a strong
track record.
In addition to analog/mixed-signal
and RFIC, Singapore has identified four
emerging areas with strong growth potential:
green electronics, bioelectronics, plastic
electronics and security. Singapore will
leverage its existing base of core electronics
capabilities and strengths in material physics
and biotechnology to pre-position and
develop the local semiconductor industry
to ride on these waves of growth. Several
semiconductor companies in Singapore
are already working on these new growth
areas. For example, STMicroelectronics
has established a centre developing plastic
electronics, which would have applications
in electronic devices such as sensors, touch
screens and flexible electronics displays.
And Philips Lumileds, one of the world's
top five light-emitting diode (LED) makers,
has set up its first high-power LED wafer
fabrication facility outside of Silicon Valley.
Singapore has also identified the need
for urban, health and wellness solutions,
as Singapore and other cities worldwide
continue to face the constraints and
challenges of growing urbanization and
rapidly ageing populations. The city plans to
position itself as a "living lab" for companies
to develop innovative and future-oriented
solutions to these challenges, as well as
create test-bedding platforms for testing
and prototype development. Singapore's
ultimate goal is to serve as the reference site
for the export of such solutions to global
markets.
Career Opportunities in Singapore's Semiconductor Industry
Semiconductor jobs are amongst the most
highly paid in the manufacturing sector.
Average remuneration for IC design, wafer
fabrication and outsourced semiconductor
assembly and test (OSAT) jobs is higher than
the manufacturing sector by 68 percent, 37
percent and 11 percent, respectively.
The Singapore government is putting
resources into developing the competencies
of its future generation through a
scholarship program for undergraduates
and postgraduates. In 2009, the Singapore
Economic Development Board established
the S$16 million (US$11.3 million) IC
Design Postgraduate Scholarship to train
150 IC designers with either a master's or
Ph.D. over five years as part of its efforts to
train talent in the semiconductor industry.
In addition, there are opportunities for
engineers and technicians to play a critical
role in manufacturing, R&D, product and
circuit design, and testing and assembly.
According to the Strategic Skills List
published in July 2008 by the Singapore
Ministry of Manpower, the skills most in
demand in the electronics industry are
IC designer, media engineer and wafer
fabrication engineer.
Table 1. Executive Jobs in Demand
| Job Title |
Job Description |
Wage Range* |
Relevant Qualifications & Training Pathways |
| IC Designer |
Design circuits embedded
within electronic chips. IC
designers seek to design ICs
with more functionalities and
better performance, taking into
consideration cost, size and
power consumption. |
US$2,100 –
US$3,900
(S$3,000 –
S$5,500) |
Degree in Microelectronics
Engineering /
Mechatronics / Electronics
Engineering /
Electrical Engineering
PCP for IC Design
Engineers |
| Process Engineer |
Devise and implement
processes for fabricating
equipment components and
modules. Ensure that processes
are efficient and implement
new quality improvement tools. |
US$2,100 – US$3,200
(S$3,000 – S$4,500) |
Degree in Physics /
Chemistry / Electronics
/ Microelectronics /
Electrical Engineering /
Chemical Engineering
Certified WSQ Wafer Fab
Engineer |
| Process Integration Engineer |
Process set-up,
characterizations, robustness,
correlation and integrated
responses on process blocks
for all technologies and
products. Work on mature
and new technologies and
render support for continuous
process improvements. |
US$2,100 –
US$3,200
(S$3,000 – S$4,500) |
Degree in Physics /
Chemistry / Electronics
/ Microelectronics /
Electrical Engineering /
Chemical Engineering
Certified WSQ Wafer Fab
Engineer |
| Equipment Engineer |
Sustain continuous
equipment uptime through
hardware maintenance and
improvements. Liaise with
vendors or equipment makers
on the development and
improvement of equipment
capabilities. |
US$2,100 –
US$3,200
(S$3,000 –
S$4,500) |
Degree in Microelectronics
Engineering /
Mechatronics / Electronics
Engineering /
Electrical Engineering
Certified WSQ Wafer Fab
Engineer |
| Failure
Analysis
(FA)
Engineer |
Provide technical direction
to an analytical team which
verifies, diagnoses and
characterizes materials or
defect in products. |
US$2,100 –
US$3,200
(S$3,000 –
S$4,500) |
Degree in Microelectronics
Engineering /
Mechatronics / Electronics
Engineering /
Electrical Engineering
Certified WSQ Wafer Fab
Engineer |
Source: Labour Market Highlights, Singapore Ministry of Manpower, August 2009
*Wage range is indicative only and refers to the gross monthly wages that workers in the occupation can
expect to receive.
A typical annual package in Singapore includes a 13th month
bonus and performance bonuses. Employers also contribute to an
employee's Central Provident Fund (CPF), which is a mandatory
savings scheme that seeks to secure an employee's financial future
after retirement, and covers partial hospitalization, housing, family
insurance and assets management.
A Great Place to Live
The 2009 HSBC Experience Survey results showed that expats voted
Singapore the fourth-best country in the world to live and work. The
expats were polled on their overall quality of life and ease of settling
in. Many of them said they found standards in Singapore to be higher
than those back home, and enjoyed the city-state's superior food,
transport and healthcare.
The HSBC survey results are reflective of the high quality of life
that global talent can enjoy in Singapore. Singapore offers a well-developed
infrastructure with a wide range of education, housing and
healthcare choices suited to every budget. Coupled with the country's
low personal taxation rates, which are between 0 percent and 20
percent, Singapore is an affordable international career destination
for those seeking to enter an exciting new phase in their lives.
About the Author
Siew Kiang is the executive director of Contact Singapore, a global
alliance of the Singapore Economic Development Board and the Ministry
of Manpower. Contact Singapore aims to attract global talent to work,
invest and live in Singapore. For more information on working and
living in Singapore, visit www.contactsingapore.sg. Job opportunities are
also available at www.contactsingapore.sg/jobs.
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