Britain | Dear as chips

Britain’s semiconductor strategy shows the bind the country is in

But a modest approach may be the sensible one

Workers pass through an air shower cleaning zone at the Newport Wafer Fab, owned by Nexperia Holding BV, in Newport, UK, on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. The UK government is deliberating whether to block a Chinese company from remaining the new owner of Newport Wafer Fab, exposing the political dilemma between supporting a key industry and keeping Beijings influence in check. Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Image: Getty Images

It was the underwhelming announcement the industry had been waiting for. On May 19th the government unveiled a £1bn ($1.2bn) decade-long dollop of funding aimed at boosting Britain’s semiconductor sector.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Dear as chips”

From the May 27th 2023 edition

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