Canada's Semiconductor Council

Canada’s Semiconductor Council is a national industry coalition dedicated to accelerating the growth and development of Canada’s semiconductor sector.

We aim to:

Drive consensus on a national strategy for sustained growth of the semiconductor sector, as an engine for Canadian economic growth and as a key enabler of other industry sectors.
Advocate on the priorities, issues and opportunities, and create and implement programs for Canada’s semiconductor sector.
Provide focused networking opportunities for informal knowledge sharing and collaboration among members.

Roadmap to 2050: Canada’s Semiconductor Action Plan

Roadmap to 2050: Canada’s Semiconductor Action Plan is the report and action plan published by the Council and lays out short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations to build Canada’s semiconductor industry. Over Summer 2021, the Council interviewed over 100 stakeholders across Canada to gain data-driven insights that inform the action plan and recommendations.

COUNCIL MEMBERS

Paul Slaby

Managing Director, Canada's Semiconductor Council

Melissa Chee

President & CEO, ventureLAB

Kevin O'Neil

Corporate Vice President & AMD Canada Managing Director

Salim Teja

Partner, Radical Ventures

“Canada has a choice to make: we either seize the incredible opportunity before us, or stick with a status quo that's no longer working. When it comes to building an innovative, nationally integrated tech ecosystem with the potential to bring in significant investments and create transformational careers for a new generation of Canadians, you need to think big. In the ultra competitive and critical semiconductor sector, nobody is going to invite us to the table — we need to be bold and own the podium.”

“Canada produces some of the world’s most talented and sought-after STEM graduates, but without offering transformative and well-paying careers to keep them in Canada, we risk losing our best and brightest to other countries. Planting the seeds for a powerful domestic semiconductor industry isn’t just good for our economy — it’s one of the most effective tools we have to keep our talent in Canada, bring our talent back to Canada, and attract top talent from around the world.”

“One of the biggest hurdles facing Canada’s domestic hardware and semiconductor companies is the lack of access to venture capital. As a result, many technology founders are forced to seek foreign capital, often resulting in early exits at low values to foreign ownership. This unfortunate outcome is a waste of the years-long investment we put into our technology students, as well as a major blow to our economy. The launch of Canada’s Semiconductor Council is a significant step towards closing the gap to capital for Canadian technology companies, and a necessary measure to attract the billions of dollars in global investment that come with a thriving semiconductor sector.”

“Canada’s Semiconductor Council will play an important role in boosting exports and increasing Canada’s competitiveness in both traditional and innovative sectors. While we work towards a strong economic recovery, we also want to ensure Canada’s long-term competitiveness and growth. To do this, we recognize the importance of investing in our domestic semiconductor industry, which is key to so many technologies at the heart of our future economy — from artificial intelligence to quantum computing to green energy and everything in between.”

STAKEHOLDERS

Canada’s Semiconductor Council consulted over 100 industry stakeholders from coast-to-coast, representing startups, Canadian anchor companies, and global multinationals. The full list of stakeholders interviewed who agreed to be listed can be found in the Roadmap to 2050: Canada’s Semiconductor Action Plan.