Phl developing integrated circuit design industry

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is developing the local integrated circuit (IC) design industry as it looks to position itself as a competitive digital niche in Asia.

According to Trade undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr., the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is working with other institutions such as the Taiwanese government, Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University and the Philippine Institute for Integrated Circuits to develop the local IC design industry.

“These four institutions are working together to improve and promote the IC design industry in our country. Individual industry roadmaps have identified training needs to address human resource development and upgrade them with latest technology requirements of the global market,” he said.

As part of efforts to develop the local IC design industry, the 5th IC Design Training Program, which focused on the importance of analog to digital and digital to analog converters, was recently held.

During the training program, Professors Shuenn-Yuh Lee and Cheng-Han Hsieh of the National Cheng Kung University urged Filipino engineers to set up companies to encourage innovation in IC design.

Lee noted that homegrown engineers have increased their technical capability over the years.

As such, the trainees are encouraged to innovate and even put up IC Design start-ups to boost the digital revolution.

IC design is considered an essential part of the Philippine semiconductor and electronics industry.

Last year, the industry accounted for 28 percent of the country’s gross domestic product output with revenues worth over $21 billion.

In the same year, the industry generated four million direct and indirect jobs.

Under the electronics industry roadmap, the Philippines aims to position the itself as a globally competitive electronics hub by 2030 with investments of $10 billion, exports of $112 billion and direct and indirect employment of up to 24 million.

By 2016, the country’s electronic exports are expected to reach $37 billion and increase further to $52 billion by 2022.

Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the country’s electronics industry exported $16.28 billion in the January to August period this year, up 5.2 percent from $15.28 billion in the same period last year.