Alex Oliver, Business Partnerships Lead at REWIRE, reflects on presenting at the NMI Conference in March 2025 and considers how collaboration could drive technology innovation for power semiconductors and power electronics.
The relentless pace at which technology is evolving, whether that be within power electronics, compound semiconductors or any innovation-driven sector for that matter, can make it challenging to consider what the broader landscape will actually look in a few years’ time, let alone a decade’s time. The global semiconductor market is forecast to reach $2tn by 2035, primarily driven by key growth end markets and the move towards more sustainable technologies. Without the understanding of what trends will shape global business in the long term or how things like the digital transformation and AI will continue to revolutionise industries, it is likely that you will get left behind.
This long-term focus was at the heart of the NMI 2025 conference, Semi35 – The Next Decade, to outline what the UK semiconductor sector is doing to innovate across the supply chain, and how Net Zero and sustainability can be at the core of this. With over 250 attendees and exhibitors, spanning leaders from industry, academia and Government, NMI was an impactful and inspiring event showcasing the latest and greatest innovations from across the UK semiconductor value chain.
I was fortunate enough to speak at the NMI conference on behalf of the REWIRE Innovation and Knowledge Centre, hosted in the Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) at University of Strathclyde. My talk, part of the Semiconductors, sustainability, and the road to NetZero session, focused on how REWIRE is aiming to transform the next generation of power semiconductors to deliver Net Zero through academia-industry collaboration and technology transfer.
What was clearly apparent to me through the conference sessions and networking was that the UK semiconductor industry has opportunity to exploit emerging markets whilst simultaneously tacking challenges like Net Zero. Yet, this can only be achieved by working effectively together, collaborating to deliver real and meaningful change, and having a unified approach that maximises the nation’s strengths. There are opportunities to take advantage of the fantastic research and innovation ecosystem it has at its disposal, which REWIRE is a part of. The UK’s world-leading niches in compound and wide band gap semiconductors, advanced packaging and power electronics, will be key in making any ambitions a reality, but bringing different stakeholders together from across the supply chain to deliver impact is paramount.
I am grateful to the Techworks team for organising such a triumphant conference. Let’s hope that it will act as the springboard for a unified UK approach to deliver growth, prosperity and sustainability to the nation.
