Written by The Banking Post
Bangladesh’s national semiconductor taskforce has urged the establishment of a “Semiconductor Fund”—housed under either the ICT Division or Bangladesh Bank—to provide venture capital and term financing for chip-design and testing startups. The recommendation featured among short-term measures outlined to the Chief Adviser on July 1 by Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, executive chairman of BIDA and BEZA.
Among its 2025–26 priorities, the 13-member panel—comprising government, private-sector, academic and non-resident Bangladeshi representatives—also proposed:
- Launching a virtual knowledge portal with tiered certifications aligned to global semiconductor standards
- Establishing industry-grade training labs at five institutions by 2027
- Creating shared cleanrooms for chip packaging and testing
- Rolling out on-site, rotation-based engineer training programmes and university certification tracks
- Implementing targeted tax breaks and streamlined import policies under clear regulatory guardrails
Formed on January 1, 2025, the taskforce was charged with mapping Bangladesh’s entry into the chip sector. Citing the capital-intensive nature of wafer fabrication, it recommends an initial focus on chip design, testing and packaging, before tackling full-scale production.
Its phased roadmap rests on three pillars: skills development, business and policy support, and global partnerships. Longer-term strategies include tapping non-resident Bangladeshi investment, forging government-to-government technical alliances and securing knowledge transfer agreements.
“The roadmap offers a clear, feasible path for Bangladesh to join the global chip-design and testing community,” said Chowdhury. “With focused interventions, this could mark a pivotal shift toward a technology-driven economy.”
Echoing the call for international collaboration, Professor Yunus commended the taskforce and stressed urgent talent development to implement the strategy. The Chief Adviser’s Office will now convene dedicated working groups to drive execution as Bangladesh positions itself in the evolving global semiconductor supply chain.
