Canada’s Semiconductor Summit

Program

9-9:10 AM Welcome & Introductory Remarks

MC:  Ruth Rayman, former Director General, Advanced Electronics and Photonics Research Centre, NRC

9:10-9:30 AM An Unprecedented Global Recalibration

Semiconductors are the backbone of the digital economy. As an integrated North American semiconductor supply chain takes shape, Canada has the opportunity to transform existing, discrete areas of expertise into a coherent offering, forge new collaborations and maximize new markets.

Key topics:

• Lay of the land, threats and opportunities etc.

Speaker: Dr. C. Paul Slaby, Managing Director, Canada’s Semiconductor Council

9:30-10:45 AM Automotive, EVs, and Batteries: Amplifying Our Strengths

Canada is creating a world class EV supply chain with OEMs and electrification sub-systems. Semiconductors lie at the heart of the 21st century automobile. How can Canada play a larger role in the semiconductor supply chain for EVs? What are the short and long-term opportunities?

Key topics:

• What is the size of the automotive semiconductor market in Canada? What is its impact on the automotive manufacturing ecosystem in Canada?
• EV sub-systems: which is the best sub-system to target for Canada to grow the auto semiconductor ecosystem?
• How can semiconductors complement the increasing investment in EV manufacturing in Canada in the future?

Moderator: Kirk Ouellette,  Vice President, Strategy Development and Strategic Marketing, STMicroelectronics

Panelists:

• Andrea Tranchida, Vice President, Global Automotive Solutions, NXP Semiconductors
• Benoit Rousseau, Vice President – GaN Automotive, Infineon Technologies
• Daniel Boisvert, Director of Business Development, C-MAC Electronics Solutions
• Mona Eghanian, Assistant Vice President, OVIN

10:45-11 AM Break

Networking and refreshments.

11 AM-12:15 PM Advanced Technologies: Leveraging Canadian Capabilities

Canada needs to strategically leverage existing areas of strength and promising new advanced technologies to integrate with critical capabilities into the global semiconductor supply chain. What future-looking technologies are worth pursuing? What is the market telling us—and what criteria should guide our investments? 

Key topics:

• Photonics/RF
• AI
• Sensors
• Compound semiconductors
• Quantum computing

Moderator: Duncan Stewart, Partner, Deep Tech Venture Fund, BDC

Panelists:

• Jon Rogers, Co-founder and SVP Engineering, Alphawave Semi
• I-Cheng Chen, Fellow, Platform Architecture, AMD Canada
• Igor Arsovski, Head of Silicon, Fellow, Groq
• Jim Hjartarson, President and COO, Inpho

12:15-1:15 PM Catered buffet lunch with guest speaker

Silicon Valley legend, John East, former CEO of Actel, and veteran of AMD and Fairchild Semiconductor, remembers those formative, chaotic years in Silicon Valley—and the analogies in Canada today.

Speaker: John East, Chairman of the Board, SPARK Microsystems

1:15-2:30 PM Building a Competitive Semiconductor Ecosystem: Harnessing an Economic Juggernaut

Silicon Valley, Taiwan, South Korea, Saxony, IMEC, Albany etc. Not every successful tech ecosystem has to adhere to the same model. What can Canada learn from successful semiconductor ecosystems? What relationships need to be established with key US hubs? How should the private sector, academia and government collaborate?

Key topics:

• Ecosystem overview
• What gave the stimulus to get it off the ground?
• What’s the private/government split?

Moderator: Normand Bourbonnais, Président Directeur Général, Technum Québec

Panelists:

• Lode Lauwers, SVP, Business Development & Sales, IMEC
• Marie-Josée Turgeon, Présidente – Directrice générale, C2MI
• LaMar Hill, Director, NY Creates
• Charles Sturman, CEO, TechWorks

2:30-2:45 PM Break

Networking and refreshments.

2:45-4PM The Talent Question: Building the Pipeline

The semiconductor workforce must double to an estimated half a million people to meet the demands of North American semiconductor reshoring. What mix of training, apprenticeship programs, immigration, financial incentives, and creative retention strategies will build the pipeline for Canada?

Key topics:

• Training programs
• Immigration
• Financial incentives
• Apprenticeship programs
• Funding university Chairs
• Retention
• Brain drain

Moderator: Dr. Tony Chan Carusone, CTO, Alphawave Semi

Panelists:

• Dino Toffolon, SVP of Engineering-Interface IP, Synopsys
• Kate Alcott, Director of Workforce Programs, NY Creates
• Sylvain Charbonneau, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, University of Ottawa
• Arvind Gupta, Professor at Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto

4-5 PM Strategic Initiatives and Next Steps for 2024: Making It Happen

Canada has a powerful opportunity to establish itself as new niches emerge across the North American corridor. But we need to act fast.  Regional hubs have formed this year and are actively forging new partnerships and market plays.  How can we  ensure Canadian technology and expertise accesses these burgeoning markets?  

Key topics:

• CSC 2024 Federal Budget Proposal
• Announced proposals ie. CSC, FABrIC, SECTR etc.
• Financing growth
• Private-public partnerships

Moderator: Chris Ouslis, Industrial Technology Advisor, NRC

Panelists:

• Gord Harling, President & CEO, CMC Microsystems
• Claude Jean, Executive Vice President, Strategy & Partnership, Teledyne Digital
• Velko Tzolov, Director General, Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC)
• Dr. C. Paul Slaby, Managing Director, Canada’s Semiconductor Council

5-5:30 PM Wrap Up & Closing Remarks

Speaker: Dr. C. Paul Slaby, Managing Director, Canada’s Semiconductor Council

5:30-6:30 PM Networking Reception

Networking and refreshments.