This is a project to document the history of the microelectronics (or semiconductor) industry in Singapore. If you’d like to contribute your story to our project, please contact us here. 

The microelectronics industry in Singapore began when companies from abroad decided to set up their factories in the Republic. Since the 1970s, more and more firms established manufacturing plants here, including American and Japanese companies. From simple assembly lines to high-technology  applications, the industry witnessed a transformation. Products ranging from integrated circuits to calculators, were manufactured by the locals. These firms not only have their factories in Singapore but also in the neighbouring countries within the Southeast Asia region.

The history of the rise and development of the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley is now well-documented. As the cost of labour rose in the United States, some of these California-based companies examined the possibility of moving some of their manufacturing operations offshore. At the same time, developing nations in East and Southeast Asia – especially the “four little dragons” or “four Asian tiger” economies of Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea – were eager to generate employment and bolster economic output by hosting multi-national companies within their borders. These nations competed to offer tax breaks, ready labour forces, land, and factory space to attract microelectronics manufacturers.

With much encouragement from the government, the American company National Semiconductor opened operations in Singapore in 1968. Fairchild Semiconductor, the first firm to design and manufacture integrated circuits, set up a manufacturing plant in Toa Payoh in 1969. They were followed by Texas Instruments and Hewlett-Packard operations in 1970. Seven thousand jobs were created in just three years. By the early 1980s, Singapore had become a major hub for microelectronics and semiconductor manufacturing with Digital Equipment Corporation, and Seagate also operating in the Republic.

This project aims to understand the role that these Singaporean and Southeast Asian operations played in the globalization of the microelectronics industry more broadly. Alongside operations in Latin America, these plants led the way in the globalization of microelectronics and ultimately transformed that industry. Now the vast majority of the world’s electronics – including microelectronics devices – are produced in the People’s Republic of China. This has significant implications for the global distribution of expertise, jobs, and the balance of global trade. This project aims to better describe and situate the role of Singapore and Southeast Asia in such knowledge transfers.

This project is sponsored by a Heritage Research Grant from Singapore’s National Heritage Board. This project is ongoing (in fact, it has just begun) so material on this site will be updated as the project develops.