Re-shoring chip manufacturing in Canada – Can we do it?

Technology has been identified as a global and national strategic importance – seemingly at the heart of any modern digital economy. Therefore, re-shoring semiconductor manufacturing in Canada should be viewed as an essential step forward for the North America electronics landscape.

The question is – can we do it? And, will we ever find the driving force to pull it all together? This topic will put on centre stage in the form of a keynote address at the Eptech show in Vancouver at 10 a.m. on June 7th at Delta Hotels by Marriott Burnaby Conference Centre. The keynote will be delivered by Normand Bourbonnais, president & CEO at Technum Quebec – the Bromont Innovation Zone for Digital Technologies (located in Bromont, Quebec).

Strategic geopolitical importance

“This (reshoring semis in Canada) has a strategic geopolitical importance (China vs Taiwan), and it is also a key element for cyber security in tech circles,” says Bourbonnais. “Western countries are making massive investments to re-shore semiconductor manufacturing activities and build a resilient supply chain in North America and in Europe,” he continues, sighting two significant funding efforts deployed – The Chip and Science American Act; and The European Chip Act.

Normand Bourbonnais, president & CEO at Technum Quebec will provide the keynote address at the upcoming Vancouver Eptech Show at 10 a.m. on June 7th at Delta Hotels by Marriott Burnaby Conference Centre.

Under these two initiatives reside an astonishing investment effort made by several major semiconductor players to build new a production plant or expand their current facilities.

There is no doubt that in the coming years, the overall installed capacity will quadruple in North America, offering major market opportunities for everyone in the electronics ecosystem across Canada, according to Bourbonnais, who has been working in the field of microelectronics for more than 35 years. He has held various management positions in production, quality control, engineering and product development before piloting an avant-garde project, namely the establishment of the largest microelectronics research centre in Canada: the MiQro Innovation Collaborative Center (C2MI).

A vital link between pure research and the needs of industry, the C2MI environment lays the foundations for research and product development for all market segments. A unique model, C2MI offers an infinite number of collaboration and business opportunities related to all areas surrounding the manufacture of embedded systems.

In February of 2022, C2MI unveiled the Technum Quebec Innovation Zone, a design hub that puts focus on digital technologies, from design to commercialization, through prototyping, certification, intellectual property, and low-volume production, reach their full potential to support all Quebec industries.

Free to attend for trade and industry professionals, EPTECH shows provide exclusive face-to-face networking with suppliers in the industry. The show runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and will feature related seminars scheduled throughout the day. Attendees can browse the exhibit show floor – connect and gain insights on upcoming products in the industry.

The Vancouver Eptech event schedule can be found here.