Remarks by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) Gan Kim Yong at the Advanced Substrate Technologies (AST) New Facility Opening Ceremony

Mr Yoshiyuki Iida, Chief Executive Officer at Advanced Substrate Technologies,

Dr Charlie Kawwas, President of the Semiconductor Solutions Group at Broadcom,

Mr Satoshi Oya, President and Chief Operating Officer at Toppan Holdings,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good morning. I am pleased to join you for the opening of AST’s new facility. Congratulations to AST, Broadcom and Toppan, and thank you to everyone who has worked hard to bring this project to fruition.

2. This investment brings together Broadcom’s expertise in semiconductor design and Toppan’s strengths in advanced substrates. We appreciate your confidence in Singapore and look forward to supporting AST’s growth here.

3. Over the decades, Singapore has steadily built capabilities across chip design, wafer fabrication, equipment manufacturing and advanced packaging.

4. Alongside these activities, we have developed a network of suppliers, research institutions and skilled workers. Together, they provide a strong foundation for companies to grow and undertake increasingly sophisticated work.

5. As technology advances and global competition intensifies, we must build on this foundation and develop capabilities that are difficult to replicate.

6. In semiconductors, this means ensuring that each new investment strengthens the capabilities of the wider ecosystem, and creates opportunities for our companies and people to advance.

7. AST’s new facility is an example that does precisely this.

8. The facility is Singapore’s first that manufactures high-end flip-chip ball grid array, or FC-BGA, substrates, and Toppan’s first such facility outside Japan.

a. These substrates provide the connections that allow chips to work with one another and with the wider electronic system.

9. This adds a specialised capability that complements the semiconductor activities already here, and broadens what Singapore can contribute to the global industry.

10. AST’s plans to conduct research and development here will deepen this contribution.

a. Bringing R&D and production together allows engineers to draw on experience from the factory floor to develop and refine new products and processes.

b. Over time, this can help us build the expertise to develop future generations of substrate technology from Singapore.

c. This will in turn strengthen the wider ecosystem here.

11. Singapore is investing in semiconductor research and platforms that bring researchers and industry together. I encourage AST to explore opportunities to work with our research institutions and tap on their capabilities.

12. There is also scope for AST to build partnerships with suppliers here, to address production challenges and develop solutions for its operations.

13. For our local enterprises, these partnerships offer opportunities to improve their capabilities, meet more demanding requirements and compete for higher value work. As these firms grow stronger, they can become more capable partners for AST and other semiconductor companies.

14. Our people are central to this process. Their skills make these investments possible, and we want these investments to open up better opportunities for them.

15. AST will create more than 330 jobs, including engineering and skilled technician positions. These roles will give Singaporeans opportunities to work with advanced manufacturing processes, build specialised expertise and advance their careers.

16. We must prepare our people to take up these opportunities. Earlier this year, AST signed an MOU with ITE to provide structured internships and hands-on training, and help keep training aligned with industry needs.

17. This partnership will allow students to apply what they learn in the classroom and gain experience in a working facility. It gives them a clearer pathway into the industry, while helping AST develop the workforce it needs.

18. Such partnerships should grow alongside our investments.

a. With training and guidance from experienced colleagues, Singaporeans can deepen their expertise and take on greater responsibilities.

b. Their capabilities will, in turn, help our companies innovate and build a stronger foundation for Singapore’s future growth.

19. We look forward to growing with AST, and to the contributions that this facility and its people will make to our semiconductor ecosystem.

20. Let me once again congratulate AST, Broadcom and Toppan on this opening. I wish the team every success in the years ahead.

21. Thank you.