The Mexican government presented an ambitious plan on Thursday to boost the national semiconductor industry, with the creation of the National Center for Semiconductor Design "Kutzari", a project that seeks to strengthen the value chain of these essential devices for modern industry. In a second stage, the country will move towards the manufacture of chips with its own technology, with the aim of reducing dependence on imports, which in 2023 exceeded 24 billion dollars.
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo assured in her usual press conference at the National Palace that this project, in conjunction with the Sonora Plan and the development of the Mexican electric vehicle Olinia, is "part of the national development project, of scientific development to make Mexico a scientific and technological power."
The Kutzari Center, she added, "is the union of many scientists, technological developers, public higher education institutions, who are going to put all their intelligence, design, creativity to generate new semiconductor designs," which she said, are practically in all modern technology. She pointed out that although the Mexico Plan contemplates the installation of companies in the sector in the country, it should also promote scientific and technological development that is linked to the national and international industry.
The Secretary of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation, Rosaura Ruiz, and the national coordinator of the project, Edmundo Antonio Gutiérrez Domínguez, explained that the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), UNAM, Cinvestav, among other research centers, are participating in this project, and that it includes modifications to the law to accelerate the registration of patents in the country.
Secretary Ruiz, accompanied by directors and scientists from the institutions involved, explained that the name "Kutzari," which means "sand" in Purépecha, refers to the importance of silicon, the base material for the manufacture of semiconductors.
She added that this center will focus on the design of chips with immediate commercial viability, laying the foundations for the installation of a manufacturing plant in the medium term.
Gutiérrez Domínguez indicated that semiconductors are key components in a wide range of industries, from automotive to medical devices and consumer electronics. Globally, the market for these devices will reach a value of 700 billion dollars in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 20 percent.
Currently, chip production is dominated by countries such as Taiwan, South Korea and the United States. However, Mexico's growing interest in this sector responds to the strategy of diversifying and strengthening its technology industry. Officials indicated that the country has more than 40 years of experience in semiconductor design, with institutions capable of developing advanced devices used in cell phones and computers.
The plan to consolidate the semiconductor industry in Mexico contemplates three phases. The first phase involves the creation of the National Center for Semiconductor Design “Kutzari,” whose consolidation phase is planned to take place between now and 2027 with the development of chips in collaboration with academic institutions and the industry, accelerated training of designers and links with the national and international productive sector.
In the second phase, from 2026 to 2029, the start-up of a semiconductor factory is planned, whose model could be public, private or mixed. During this period, the installation of infrastructure for industrial-scale production will be carried out.
The third stage will be the consolidation of chip assembly and packaging in Mexico, between 2029 and 2030, with the creation of a comprehensive semiconductor industry in the country and the reduction of dependence on imports.
Modifications to speed up national patents
Meanwhile, the Secretary of Anti-Corruption, Raquel Buenrostro, and the director of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, Santiago Nieto, explained that the new legislation on patent registration presented will speed up the protection of intellectual property in Mexico, encouraging the development of own technologies.
Buenrostro pointed out that although there are industries in the sector established in Mexico, they do not patent here “because our law still lacks international standards.” For this reason, the legislation on the matter will be modified.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gbtJdv9UL4
Arturo Sánchez Jiménez y Alma Muñoz El gobierno de México presentó este jueves un ambicioso plan para impulsar la industria nacional de semiconductores, con la creación del Centro Nacional de Diseño de Semiconductores […]
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