Taskforce to be formed to develop Bangladesh’s semiconductor sector
"We are forming a taskforce with representatives from industry, academia, the diaspora, and government to identify barriers and recommend actionable solutions,” M Siraz Uddin Miah, principal secretary to the chief adviser said
A high-level taskforce will be formed to spearhead the growth of Bangladesh's semiconductor sector, focusing on testing, assembly, and enhancing chip design capabilities.
It will work with the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) to develop a roadmap for sectoral growth.
The decision was adopted during a stakeholder meeting titled "Semiconductors – A New Frontier for the Bangladesh Economy and Employment," held at Bida headquarters in the capital today (18 December).
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The meeting was chaired by M Siraz Uddin Miah, principal secretary to the chief adviser.
At the meeting, Siraz Uddin said, "We are forming a taskforce with representatives from industry, academia, the diaspora, and government to identify barriers and recommend actionable solutions. I urge stakeholders to leverage Bida as a one-stop platform to align government policies and priorities."
Mashuque Rahman, founder of Green Quest, delivered the keynote presentation, highlighting priority areas within the semiconductor value chain and recommendations for growth.
Ashik Chowdhury, executive chairman of Bida and Beza, said, "Bangladesh currently generates approximately $6 million annually from semiconductor activities, primarily through integrated circuit design services."
"However, the downstream stages of packaging, assembly, and testing offer immediate opportunities for expansion. Based on today's [yesterday's] discussions, our next steps will focus on policy development, promotion, and capacity building," he added.
Mohammed Enayetur Rahman, founder and CEO of ULKASEMI, a Silicon Valley-based semiconductor design services company, stressed the importance of practical education.
He said, "Besides updating our university curricula, we have to enhance our style of teaching and make sure our students are taking the knowledge home. We are willing to engage further with university students to help them understand the job description."
During the meeting, key recommendations for the sector' development included ensuring intellectual property (IP) protections, introducing semiconductor-focused courses in select universities, introducing shared training facilities, and engaging non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) for global promotion.
High-level participants at the meeting included ICT Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury, Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) Commandant Maj Gen Md Nasim Parvez, and representatives from PrimeSilicon Technology, Tahoe Communications, Neural Semiconductors Limited, Haison International Limited, Integrated Development Foundation (IDF), BRAC University, and Southeast University.
