ICM 2026 adds momentum to Sarawak’s Semiconductor Roadmap 2030. Photo Credit: AdobeStock/remake
Sarawak is set to connect international microelectronics expertise with its growing semiconductor ecosystem when the 38th International Conference on Microelectronics (ICM 2026) arrives in Kuching this December.
Held from 7 to 10 December at the Borneo Cultures Museum, the conference is expected to attract more than 300 researchers, engineers, academics and industry professionals. It marks ICM’s return to Malaysia after more than three decades.
The programme will extend beyond academic presentations to include cross-society sessions, workshops, live demonstrations, tutorials and a technical industry visit. A Sino-Malaysia workshop, CASS Standards Workshop and Circuits and Systems Industry Forum are also planned.
Topics covered by the official call for papers include AI accelerators, edge AI, embedded hardware security, advanced packaging, chiplets and wide-bandgap semiconductors. Selected research will be considered for publication in IEEE-linked journals.
The event comes as Sarawak implements its Semiconductor Roadmap 2030, which targets RM2 billion (US$494.5m) in investment, 3,000 high-skilled jobs and the creation of new semiconductor intellectual property.
The state’s 2026 budget also outlines plans to develop three intellectual property assets; produce Sarawak’s first gallium-nitride high-electron-mobility-transistor chip; and establish an AI Chip Integration Centre.
Sarawak’s manufacturing base was strengthened in 2025 by X-FAB’s RM3 billion (US$741.8m) expansion, which increased its monthly wafer capacity in the state from 30,000 to 40,000 units.
ICM 2026 is projected to generate RM2.5 million (US$618,100) in economic impact, alongside longer-term research, talent and industry connections for Sarawak.