Swiss chip industry fuelled by research, not cash windfalls

The United States, China, France, India and Saudi Arabia are among the countries pouring billions into their national semiconductor industries to gain a competitive edge in manufacturing chips. Switzerland, however, is pursuing a different strategy, steering smaller sums towards scientific research rather than subsidising the country’s small high-tech private sector. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Semiconductors are one of the world’s most critical growth industries. Chips power not just computers and artificial intelligence (AI), but also medical devices, energy and food production, transport, factory machines, telecommunications and a host of other electronic devices. Global demand for chips is on track to double between 2022 and 2030, according to a 2022 European Union study of the sector. Annual industry revenues are expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, according to multiple forecasts by McKinsey, PwC and others. + Switzerland risks exclusion from ...