Singapore eyeing R&D in mmWave to create niche in the area of 6G

EVEN though the arrival of 6G is estimated to be a decade away, Singapore has already set its sights on the technology, with plans to inject capital and talent to build a niche in the area.

It is part of the five key research pillars of microelectronics highlighted by Jacqueline Poh, who will take over as managing director (MD) of the Singapore Economic Development Board from next Monday.

"Among them, the millimetre-wave (mmWave) and beyond is one of the key research pillars that we've identified for Singapore to develop a niche for future 6G communications technologies," the former deputy secretary of the strategy group at the Prime Minister's Office told industry players in a keynote speech at the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association Summit (SSIA) 2021 on Thursday.

The mmWave is an extremely high frequency band of spectrum between 30 and 300 gigahertz (GHz), and it is so called because its short wavelengths can be measured in millimetres. It is also being used to enable ultra-fast 5G connections.

Ms Poh said mmWave is about developing new devices that not only transmit radio signals faster but also do so using less power, making it the "future of communications for 6G and beyond".

"We do intend to deploy significant amounts of capital and talent to do world-class research in these areas," she said.

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The five research pillars, which also include Edge AI, heterogeneous integration, power electronics and microelectromechanical systems, will be a big collective effort involving material suppliers, chip designers, manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), universities and research laboratories, Ms Poh added.

This comes as the world becomes increasingly digital, with global data storage expected to exceed 200 zettabytes by 2025, while communications requirements will increase in complexity to accommodate the exponential growth in network traffic, she noted.

Innovation is thus key to powering these new semiconductor technologies and enable the next bound of Singapore's digital economy, but such innovation requires substantial investments in research and development (R&D).

"In Singapore, we are shaping the future of microelectronics technologies in partnerships with our research institutions and with industry. Companies that undertake research for Singapore have an edge, will gain from government support upstream, and they will also get the first bite of returns downstream," Ms Poh said.

But beyond providing a foundation for the digital economy, the semiconductor industry is also its beneficiary, when smart manufacturing processes give these companies an edge.

While some companies have lamented that they are not able to hire the right experts to build in-house capabilities to develop areas like artificial intelligence (AI) or additive manufacturing, Ms Poh said there are partners ready to help semiconductor companies that have good problem statements.

One example of a win-win partnership is Global Foundries and local AI firm SixSense, with the latter able to develop new capabilities to offer to the rest of the industry.

Ms Poh said there are many platforms for partners to connect and tap one another's expertise, and she hopes more companies can help uplift the capabilities of Singapore's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups.

The SSIA, through its platforms, helps to make close to 100 of such connections every year, she noted.

Meanwhile, Singapore's aspiration is for its semiconductor industry to grow at least as fast as the global one, which is expected to double in size over the next decade.

Over the next three to five years, 1,744 electronics-related jobs are expected to be created, based on investments committed in 2020, adding to the current 33,000 workers employed by the industry, said Ms Poh.

The hiring environment is likely to become more competitive, as the Republic attracts more semiconductor manufacturing and R&D activities here.

In an earlier speech, Minister-in-Charge of GovTech Janil Puthucheary said the talent needs of the semiconductor industry are multidisciplinary and not just manufacturing roles.

"We hope that with many semiconductor companies having their regional and global headquarters here in Singapore, there are opportunities for corporate functions, data scientists, AI analysts as well as the engineers and technicians," said Dr Janil, who is also Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information.

He said the government is planning to invest more in schools to encourage students to graduate with microelectronics skills, adding that he hopes companies can also co-drive such talent-development initiatives.

Ms Poh said that the government hopes the companies can help to redesign technician jobs and roles so that they can provide more competitive starting salaries and wage progression to create attractive career opportunities for Institute of Technical Education and polytechnic graduates.

"I've noticed recently that the bubble tea shop under my office offers air-conditioned mall comfort for S$1,800 a month and ride-hailing and food delivery can amount to S$2,500 to S$3,000 a month plus flexibility. These are not the kind of full-time jobs that will buy your property or grow old in but they represent your competition in the job market," she said, adding that this points to more urgency than ever before to invest heavily to nurture the talent that Singapore needs.

"The more that we do to encourage Singaporeans to join the industry, the easier it is for us to argue to bring in the talent that you need from outside of Singapore," Ms Poh stressed.

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