KUCHING: Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg will lead a Sarawak government delegation to visit the CSA Catapult Innovation Centre in Newport, United Kingdom, next Tuesday (Apr 29), as part of efforts to strengthen collaboration in semiconductor development between the UK and Sarawak.
According to a statement, the visit to the innovation centre will see the Sarawak government, through SMD Semiconductor Sdn Bhd, exchange partnership agreement documents with CSA Catapult, Silicon Catalyst, and 5G3i Ltd of the UK.
CSA Catapult is the UK’s authority on compound semiconductor applications and commercialisation while Silicon Catalyst is a key semiconductor incubator and the 5G3i Ltd is a leading circuit-level artificial intelligence solutions provider in the UK.
The Sarawak government will also present the Sarawak Semiconductor Roadmap 2030 to the UK semiconductor industry players during the same ceremony via a briefing by SMD Semiconductor chairman Datuk Seri Wanlizozman Haji Wan Omar, who is also Sarawak’s Financial Secretary.
There will also be a hardware demonstration and soft-launch of SMD’s new AI-powered converter prototype, a ground-breaking intelligent power management and control system with potential applications in the energy domain, transportation, industrial and mission-critical control systems in the fields of aerospace, healthcare and defence.
The visit to the facility will be capped off with a networking luncheon with representatives from the English, Scottish and Northern Irish governments to strengthen the relationship between UK and Sarawak, particularly in the advancement of compound semiconductor.
On Apr 30, the Premier will continue with his working visit to the UK with a call on the Cambridge University Press and Assessment, a non-school institution of the University of Cambridge that offers a wide range of products and services focusing on education, learning, research and qualifying assessments.
The assessment services include the administration of a range of assessments, particularly qualifications for schools and higher education, and other standardized tests relevant to the implementation of assessment tests for schools in Sarawak.
On the following day, May 1, he will be leading a delegation to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) where there will be a roundtable discussion on sustainability followed by a MOU exchange between LSE and Sarawak government.
In the afternoon of May 1, he will be meeting with officials of the International Hydropower Association and Global Renewable Alliances to enhance collaboration between the world body and Sarawak as a prominent hydropower provider in ASEAN.
On May 2, the Premier will deliver a keynote address at a gathering of industry leaders to promote collaboration and investment in sustainable and renewable industries in Sarawak.
On the night of May 3, he will meet Sarawak students in the UK, where he will speak on various development initiatives in Sarawak and engage with students in a Lan Berambeh gathering organised by the Sarawak Students’ Association in the UK.
The delegation’s tour will then continue to Toulouse, France, for a working visit to Airbus headquarters, before proceeding to Abu Dhabi for meetings with the Abu Dhabi Port Authority and a tour of the port and Zayed International Airport.
