Mapping of the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain - Embedding Austria in the Global Semiconductor Inter-firm Network

This report delves into Austria's role in the global semiconductor supply chain against the backdrop of significant global initiatives to incentivize the production of semiconductors, to secure availability for applications, to promote innovation and prepare for future chip supply crises. Leveraging a model of the stylized semiconductor value chain (SSVC) and employing large-scale data-mining techniques, the study classifies and maps over 20,000 semiconductor companies to their positions in the extended SSVC (chip production and application). The results reveal that the United States, China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea are key players in various segments of the value chain. Austria emerges with a concentration in specific value chain segments and a well-diversified presence in a wide range of application domains. Austria has noteworthy capabilities in wafer fabrication, providing equipment and tools for core sub-processes such as lithography, deposition, and packaging. Regarding semiconductor applications, Austria focuses particularly on various industrial applications. It demonstrates proficiency in fields such as sensors, encompassing security, RFID, and imaging applications, power electronics, design automation, high-performance design, mixed-signal circuits, wireless network applications, storage solutions, memory cards, and processors chips. Notably, Austria's strengths extend to applications within the automotive industry, where opportunities might arise with the shift to electric vehicles. Opportunities for Austria lie also in focusing on segments with increasing exclusivity and importance (such as advanced packaging) and combining low capital expenditure with high value add, particularly in chip design and equipment/tools segments. The report highlights potential weaknesses, such as dependencies on external segments and a lack of domestic production in certain areas.