Cardiff and Swansea Sign MoU for UK Compound Semiconductor Pilot Foundry

Cardiff University and Swansea University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the UK's first multi-institution approach to industry-connected National Compound Semiconductor Pilot Foundry capabilities. The agreement targets the South Wales Compound Semiconductor Cluster, which describes itself as the world's first compound semiconductor cluster, and aims to convert regional research strength into faster commercial manufacturing.

What does the partnership actually cover?

The MoU is exploratory. The two universities will investigate how coordinated pilot foundry capabilities across south Wales could help researchers and businesses develop, test, and scale new semiconductor technologies more quickly. The stated goal is to bridge the gap between laboratory research and commercial manufacture.

Pilot foundries provide open-access environments where emerging technologies can be designed, fabricated, and tested before full-scale production begins. They reduce the time and cost required to bring innovations to market. For compound semiconductors, that matters because the materials serve power electronics, advanced communications systems, and artificial intelligence hardware, with applications spanning defence, security, clean energy, and space exploration.

The universities will also explore how to develop the skills and workforce needed to support growth across the sector. A joint delivery group will engage industry, government, and other stakeholders to build a shared roadmap and investment proposition. No funding figure, timeline, or capacity target appears in the announcement.

Why compound semiconductors matter commercially

Demand for compound semiconductor technologies is rising globally, according to the announcement, and this creates openings for economic growth and investment. Compound materials sit behind power electronics and RF communications, sectors where supply chains have become strategically sensitive in Europe and the UK since the push for domestic chip capacity began.

The partnership builds on the South Wales Compound Semiconductor Cluster, coordinated by CSconnected Ltd, a not-for-profit organization. The cluster already contains research strength, a manufacturing base, and a growing supply chain, according to its managing director.

Howard Rupprecht, Managing Director of CSconnected Ltd, said: "South Wales already has the research strength, the manufacturing base and a growing supply chain. What companies need now are facilities to prototype and prove their technology at pilot scale, aligned to the fab infrastructure where the products will be made. Cardiff and Swansea each bring complementary capability."

Rupprecht linked the pilot line plan directly to European industrial policy. "Investing in an integrated pilot line helps the cluster remain globally relevant and is a crucial step towards taking part in the EU's Chips Act II programme as it comes online," he said. Joined up, he argued, the arrangement strengthens the cluster, with more companies able to develop and scale technology in South Wales and with partners further afield.

Who said what

The two vice-chancellors framed the deal as institutional alignment rather than a capacity announcement. Professor Wendy Larner, President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University, said: "Universities have a vital role to play in bringing people, ideas, and organisations together to tackle shared challenges and create new opportunities. This partnership combines the strengths of Cardiff and Swansea universities to support an area where Wales already has a significant international advantage."

Professor Paul Boyle, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said: "This MoU reflects the unique role of our two universities within the thriving compound semiconductor ecosystem here in Wales. It represents an opportunity to work together to forge the connections between people, expertise and knowledge which will strengthen Wales' contribution to this critical sector."

UK Research and Innovation, the public funding body, endorsed the move. Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Chair of UKRI, said: "I'm delighted to see local university collaboration in action. It's imperative that we fully utilize our existing national innovation assets to drive productivity growth and thus maintain its international competitiveness. This is exactly what Cardiff and Swansea Universities plan to do as central enablers of the south Wales and indeed UK semiconductor sectors."

What comes next

The next concrete step is the joint delivery group, which will produce a shared roadmap and an investment proposition for the pilot foundry capability. The outcome will determine whether the initiative attracts government backing and whether Wales gains open-access fabrication capacity at pilot scale, positioning the cluster for participation in the EU's Chips Act II programme as that scheme opens.