Poland wants to increase the importance of the semiconductor sector

The Ministry of Digital Affairs is preparing a strategy for the semiconductor sector, which present accounts for little than 0.1–0.15% of GDP, but is expected to grow with the influx of further investments. The paper includes the improvement of infrastructure and competences, attracting investors and building at least 1 pilot line by 2028. Poland is already 1 of the most attractive places to invest in the final phase of semiconductor production – according to the company's analysis Kearney ranks 5th in the planet and first in Europe.

At the beginning of March, the Ministry of Digital Affairs addressed a draft resolution of the Council of Ministers concerning the adoption of the paper "Poland in the game for the future – a policy for the semiconductor sector 2026+". The paper sets out strategical orientations for the improvement of the national semiconductor sector from 2026 to 2030 and outlines a long-term vision. It includes strengthening investigation and innovation, developing task and production competences, attracting investment, building human resources and active global cooperation within European initiatives.

– We undoubtedly have very large traditions in the area of semiconductors. For more than 2 decades we have been developing this manufacture – emphasises in an interview with Newseria agency Dr. Zbigniew Friday, head of the Investment Department in fresh Technologies in the Department of investigation and Innovation in the Ministry of Digital Affairs.

The data contained in the draft strategy show that the national manufacture remains comparatively tiny but develops in specialised technological areas. It presently includes respective twelve companies employing a full of around 9,000 people and a wider ecosystem – together with the photonics manufacture and entities operating at the interface of related areas – has about 200–250 companies. According to Kearney's analysis, which includes 30 countries and regions, Poland has been ranked among the world's leading countries and in Europe in terms of attractiveness for final investment in semiconductor production stages, i.e. investigating them, connecting them with housing or packaging.

The sector presently generates little than 1% of Polish GDP, but according to the assumptions of the paper it is expected to increase its share with the improvement of technological competences and the inflow of investments. Among the areas of specialization are: the plan of integrated circuits, material technologies, photonics and solutions for energy and electromobility. According to the project, Poland is to make advantages in selected marketplace segments, alternatively of competing with the largest global producers in the full production chain.

– We have respective specializations as Poland. 1 of them is designing semiconductors and software for them. This is implemented both in large companies and increasingly in private equity entities. We are specialists in the alleged wide-interruptible semiconductors for energy and electromobility and make with large successes, besides export, the photonics manufacture – mentions Dr. Zbigniew Friday.

In the sector there are companies specialising in chip architecture, printing systems or designing ASIC systems. Photonic technologies are besides developed, including infrared detectors utilized in automation, autonomous mobility or safety systems.

– There are certain areas where we can build our specialisation and our competitive position. These include the production of alleged mature semiconductors, which are utilized in very different industries, including electromobility, energy and photonics. It is crucial that, with the improvement of specified components, we build the full ecosystem – in terms of human resources improvement and the maintenance of talents, intellectual property creation and retention of margins in the country – provide the Ministry of Digital Affairs expert.

The importance of semiconductors has shown distortions in global supply chains between 2020 and 2020. The shortages of components produced in Taiwan, among others, limited production in many sectors, mainly in the automotive and electronic industries. In response, the European Union adopted the European Chips Act aimed at expanding Europe's participation in global production, developing infrastructure and strengthening the resilience of supply chains. The instrument involves mobilising around EUR 43 billion of public and private resources and supporting investment, investigation and pilot technology lines.

The strategy pursued in Poland is intended to enable the national manufacture to integrate into the European value chains and make national technological competences. The task covers 7 key pillars for the improvement of the sector – from financing, through staff and global cooperation, to the essential resources: energy, water and natural materials.

– 1 of the pillars is the improvement of infrastructure specified as pilot lines. They are created at European level, but we besides want to make Polish lines. We want a minimum of 1 pilot line to be created by 2028, which will affect Polish entities, due to the fact that we have companies or institutes that can be the basis for improvement in this area – This is Dr. Zbigniew Friday. – As regards the European pilotage of semiconductor lines, it is included in the European Chips Act, which has been in force since 2023. 5 lines have been identified that are specialised in different areas of the value chain. Polish entities participate in these projects, including the task FAMES participates in CEZAMAT of the Warsaw University of Technology.

The launch of the pilot line by 2028 is 1 of the key indicators in the infrastructure pillar that is included in the government's strategy. Next is an indicator of infrastructure investments of at least PLN 800 million investment expenditure and PLN 300 million operating expenditure by 2029. The aim is besides to increase the number of electronic/semiconductor graduates and to increase the number of chip designers from around 1.5 1000 to 3 1000 by 2030.

– The challenge is that the semiconductor sector is highly capital intensive, cannot be developed in the context of single years or tenure, it is simply a strategical task for decades. The second challenge is that we do not have industrial production of semiconductors in Poland so far, which means we do not have a closed value chain – points out the expert in the department of digitization. – There is much talk about natural materials, elements of uncommon earths, while in my opinion, in the context of Poland the main challenge is to make an organization framework and a policy that will support the comprehensive improvement of the industry.

The impact assessment of the project's government regulation underlines that the deficiency of a coherent policy present makes it hard to coordinate the state's activities and to identify investment priorities.

The improvement of the semiconductor sector is intended to increase the competitiveness of the Polish economy in the long word and to strengthen its technological security. The strategy papers emphasise that semiconductors are crucial not only for the civilian manufacture but besides for delicate sectors specified as energy, critical infrastructure or defence.