The United States has committed to support the semiconductor and critical metals industries in the Philippines through collaborations.
Ceferino Rodolfo, managing head of the Board of Investments (BOI) recently met with US Department of State Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose Fernandez where the latter acknowledged the Philippines’ significant growth in semiconductors and critical minerals industries.
Fernandez committed to providing the Philippines an audience with the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), a collaboration of 13 countries and the European Union.
MSP aims to catalyze public and private investment in responsible critical minerals supply chains globally. The US offered to assist in the technical processes as the Philippines prepares a work plan on critical minerals.
The US said the Philippines is among the six countries it will be supporting under the CHIPS Act by providing assistance on assembly, testing, and packaging. CHIPS Act will strengthen American manufacturing, supply chains, and national security, and invest in research and development, science and technology, and the workforce of the future.
The US International Development Finance Corp. will establish a more permanent presence in the Philippines by February. No details were available but DFC partners with the private sector to finance in key sectors in developing economies such as energy, healthcare, critical infrastructure, and technology. DFC also provides financing for small businesses and women entrepreneurs.
On semiconductors, Rodolfo relayed to Fernandez the Philippines’ plan to establish a lab-scale wafer fabrication plant utilizing a more generic technology for commercial and educational purposes.
The wafer fab lab aims to train and upskill the workforce, while enabling the local industry to do prototyping and some tape outs of semiconductor chip designs in the country instead of bringing them all the way to Taiwan.
The BOI also said it is finalizing its goal to produce 128,00 semiconductor-related engineers and technicians by 2028 to support the development of the industry.
Noting that the Philippines regularly participates in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD ) Southeast Asia Regional Program, the US invited the country to join the OECD Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network.
