News: Suppliers
30 June 2025
CSconnected names first recipients for £1m Supply Chain Development Programme
The South Wales-based compound semiconductor cluster CSconnected, in partnership with Cardiff Capital Region (CCR), has announced the first four successful applicants to its £1m Supply Chain Development Programme, aimed at strengthening and scaling the compound semiconductor supply chain in South Wales.
Funded through CCR, the initiative supports UK-based companies supplying or buying from the CS sector in South Wales, across key industries including advanced manufacturing, semiconductor materials, system integration, and specialist design tools/software. The selected projects represent vital capability development that will enhance economic impact, create new jobs, and accelerate the expansion of the semiconductor supply chain in South Wales.
The awardees are:
- Ffotoneg Ltd will expand its Design to Device photonics services by developing workflow software and in-house epitaxial design capability, enabling the specification of compound semiconductor epiwafer products ready for epitaxial growth by cluster partners such as Compound Semiconductor Centre Ltd and IQE plc.
- KuasaSemi — in collaboration with Swansea University, Vishay Newport, and CSA Catapult — will enhance its next-generation semiconductor simulation software to address key technical challenges in the regional supply chain, improving simulation accuracy, accelerating innovation and boosting economic growth across the industry.
- Pegasus Chemicals will install a cylinder preparation line to support the recycling of high-purity precursor material cylinders.
- RAM Innovations will develop a blueprint for a high-volume silicon carbide (SiC) packaging line in Wales. The project underpins the future scale-up of SiC power module manufacturing, supporting advanced packaging needs aligned with growth at Vishay Newport.
“This program supports exactly the type of innovation and supply chain resilience that’s vital to securing the UK’s strategic position in compound semiconductors,” believes CSconnected’s managing director Howard Rupprecht. “These projects highlight the strength and diversity of our regional capability and reflect the ambition we share with CCR to grow the sector’s impact at home and internationally,” he adds.
“This is a unique funding opportunity for the development of strategic partnerships locally to Wales and the UK and is a critical element of the continued growth of the Compound Semiconductor Cluster in South Wales,” comments CSconnected’s business development manager Hazel Hung. “The investment announced today allows companies to develop and expand their in-house capabilities as well as bring direct economic benefits to the compound semiconductor organizations in the region."
The CSconnected Supply Chain Development Programme remains a cornerstone initiative to deliver long-term growth, capability and economic value for the Welsh and wider UK semiconductor industry.
CSconnected appoints Howard Rupprecht as new managing director
