Technology is fundamental to the UK’s economic growth, resilience and international competitiveness. Semiconductors have been recognised as one of the essential frontier technologies that are fueling AI and other ground breaking technological advancements. We trust that the new Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST) will allow for even closer alignment of business and innovation. The appointment of Kanishka Narayan as Minister for Artificial Intelligence, jointly across DBIST and the Cabinet Office, is also a positive signal of the importance being placed on AI at the centre of government. For the semiconductor sector, stronger connections between research, commercialisation, investment, skills, procurement, trade and international partnerships will bring significant benefits. But only if we maintain momentum and investment. With organisational change comes uncertainty. We are grateful to colleagues across government and its delivery organisations who have worked with the sector to move UK semiconductor policy from repeated studies and consultation towards practical delivery. Over the past year, colleagues across government, industry and the wider semiconductor ecosystem have helped build practical foundations for innovation, skills, investment and growth. The UK Semiconductor Centre and the AI Hardware Plan build on, and contribute to, that wider collective effort. This focus must be maintained and amplified. As the new arrangements take shape, the priority should be continuity, clear accountability and measurable results. Businesses and investors value clarity, stability and confidence, while continuity for committed programmes will help maintain momentum through the transition. This is an opportunity to strengthen the route from UK technology to commercial and strategic impact. #semiconductors #uksc
Woz Ahmed
1w
There are always issues with Ministry level "mergers" (time lost and productivity dip, potential loss of institutional knowledge, etc) and there is a real risk going forward of diluted focus, weak commitment and funding uncertainty, But - Speaking as both a s/c insider and as a former IUK senior exec, the best thing to do is to keep calm, carry on, truly excel (make ministers believe this is a potential "strong card") and thereby make your presence - and need for continuing existence - a fait accompli. Be hard to kill off.
Thank you Andy, all excellent points. Can you share what could be measured to judge success, and what are the plans for the next 12 months?
Well said Andy!
...the future of semiconductors promises to be eventful, but first, in our present, we must understand how to bring that future closer. ...we must understand that the computing system we created is physically obsolete, having provided familiar and understandable concepts; the von Neumann architecture is physically unable to keep up with the growth of information. This includes the Jevons paradox, the Moravec paradox, the Landauer or Bekenstein limits, and a whole host of other problems. ...fundamentally, the architecture has not changed since the first processors. Based on the two pillars of binary logic, we have built a multitude of abstractions. Like layers, they add complexity. So the sum of the layers adds to the load. Added to this is the surge in neural models (transformers), even though the media and marketing have accustomed us to the term AI. ...yet the systems themselves remain complex and run up against Occam's razor. Is there a solution? Yes. It lies in the logic itself, or in the very approach to the architecture and interaction with semiconductors. And there's no need for neural implants or complex neuromorphic solutions, no need for quantum implementations. The question is "HOW."