Recognition is not something that comes easily in technology. It takes years of quiet work, partnership and persistence before the wider world begins to notice what you are doing. That’s why, ten years on, one of the things that gives me the greatest pride is the way people across the world now know what South Wales stands for. We are no longer an area that makes semiconductors – we are an area known for them.
My own journey in this story goes back a long way. I joined Dr Drew Nelson in 1988 when he founded IQE, and at that time the idea of Wales being recognised as a global centre for semiconductor technology would have seemed far-fetched. Yet even then there were signs of what could come. When LG first explored moving into South Wales in the 1990s, a number of partners came together to look at how we might meet the skills challenges that would follow. That early collaboration – under the rather functional name of the Semiconductor Training Advisory Group – was an early hint of what could be achieved when people in this industry worked together.
Years later, the same instinct for collaboration shaped one of the most important programmes in the cluster’s history. The Welsh Government’s Open Innovation initiative encouraged companies to share ideas and expertise rather than operate in isolation. IQE was one of the first to take that challenge seriously, running a two-year programme called CoInnovate. The idea was simple: collaborative innovation through the supply chain. The final event in 2015 was a turning point. It brought together major players not just from semiconductor manufacturing but from sectors that depend on it – companies like Airbus and Johnson & Johnson. The message was clear: these technologies underpin almost every modern industry, and progress depends on working together.
We went on to host several CoInnovate conferences in Cardiff before taking the concept abroad, linking it with the major international conference CS MANTECH in the United States. That move transformed it from a local initiative into a global platform. We went from a Welsh audience to delegates from around the world, all focused on the same principle – open innovation through collaboration. In many ways, CoInnovate captured the essence of what CSconnected would later become.
When the cluster was formally established, that same collaborative culture was embedded from the start. It gave South Wales something rare: a joined-up capability that stretches from design through to manufacturing and distribution. It also gave us a distinctive voice. Increasingly, when government — whether in London or Cardiff — needs a view on semiconductors, it turns to CSconnected. That role as the recognised representative body for the compound semiconductor sector is something we’ve worked hard to build, and it’s one of the clearest signs of how far we’ve come.
It’s not only national recognition that matters. When you travel to conferences in places like Taiwan, Japan or the US, you expect to spend a few minutes explaining where Wales is. That no longer happens. People already know. They’ve heard of CSconnected, they understand the work being done here, and they see Wales as part of the global semiconductor conversation. That’s a remarkable shift in a relatively short space of time and it’s a testament to the strength of the partnerships behind it.
But with recognition comes responsibility. The global semiconductor landscape has changed dramatically. Geopolitics now plays a defining role, from tariffs and trade policy to concerns about supply-chain resilience. In that environment, perceptions matter more than ever. And one of the perceptions we still need to challenge is much closer to home: the idea that Britain no longer does manufacturing.
Too often, I’ve spoken to people – including senior figures in education – who see manufacturing as a thing of the past. When I explain the scope of what we do within the cluster, the reaction is sometimes surprise that these technologies are designed and made here at all. That mindset worries me, because it shapes the way young people think about their futures. If we want the next generation to see opportunity in science, technology and engineering, we have to show them that these industries are alive and well – not just overseas, but here in Wales.
That’s why CSconnected puts such emphasis on outreach. We go into schools and communities to show that the technologies people use every day, from gaming and communications to healthcare and environmental monitoring, depend on products made here. It’s about making the link between global innovation and local capability. The same ambition that took our story from Cardiff to California now drives us to inspire young people across Wales.
For me, the cluster’s greatest achievement is not a single project or investment figure. It’s the fact that Wales is now recognised internationally for something it has built through collaboration, expertise and persistence. When people halfway around the world already know who you are and what you stand for, that’s when you realise you’ve made your mark.
Chris Meadows talks about this and more in the CSconnected podcast. Listen here.
