瑞典必须将半导体专业知识转化为产业
瑞典拥有半导体专业知识，但需将其转化为产业。半导体是数字化社会的基础，对AI、国防和下一代能源系统至关重要。
原文深度解读
本文由瑞典政府研究机构RISE的副总裁Björn Samel撰写，讨论瑞典如何将半导体专业知识转化为产业，强调技术规模化、自主性和供应链安全。文章涉及瑞典在碳化硅功率电子等领域的优势，指出需要国家战略、长期投资和规模化环境，以保留价值创造并加强欧洲供应链。关键数字包括RISE在半导体领域工作超过35年，以及全球功率转换效率提升1%的潜在环境效益。
- RISE在半导体领域工作超过35年，专注于碳化硅功率电子和开放创新环境。
- 瑞典在材料、功率电子和工业应用方面具有领先专业知识，欧洲在能源和功率半导体价值链中仍占优势。
- 全球功率转换效率提升1%将带来巨大的环境效益并减少废热。
- IVA报告和Semiconductor Sweden倡议指出瑞典在研究和创新方面强，但技术规模化存在结构性弱点。
- 瑞典应专注于功率电子、光子学、先进传感器、高频技术和MEMS等利基领域，而非通用大型晶圆厂。
- 文章提出三项关键需求：工业发展和基础设施、长期投资、更快的规模化路径。
供应链影响
- 瑞典加强国内半导体制造可能减少对进口功率半导体的依赖，从而增强供应链韧性。
- 欧洲功率半导体价值链的完整性可能取决于瑞典能否成功实现技术规模化。
- 瑞典的规模化环境和试点制造能力可能影响全球功率电子供应链的分布。
- 如果瑞典无法提供有利条件，公司可能将制造迁往其他地区，可能影响欧洲供应链的稳定性。
- 长期投资和基础设施发展可能决定瑞典在半导体供应链中的角色，但具体影响取决于政策执行和行业响应。
系统解读，仅作为判断线索，不构成备货、出货、涨价或投资建议。
本文最初由RISE（瑞典独立政府研究机构）发布，经许可在此转载。
客座文章作者：Björn Samel，RISE新兴硬件技术副总裁
© Björn Samel
我们出口知识，但往往进口价值创造。在地缘政治紧张和供应链脆弱的时代，这最终关乎自主性和技术主权：我们确保获得社会、竞争力和安全所依赖的关键组件的能力。
在RISE，我们在半导体领域工作了超过35年。通过推动碳化硅（SiC）功率电子器件的开发和提供开放创新环境，我们充当学术界和商业产业之间的桥梁。正是在这里，从实验室到可扩展生产的这一步，是瑞典最大的挑战和机遇所在。我们在RISE的大部分使命是在反映工业需求的环境中提高技术成熟度。没有这个机会，否则有前途的创新往往在达到大规模生产和创造瑞典就业机会之前就停滞不前。
规模化：未来能源系统的关键
许多领域对工业规模化的需求巨大，但能源和功率半导体尤其有趣，因为它们代表了欧洲在价值链的大部分环节仍保持强势地位的少数技术领域之一。凭借在材料、功率电子和工业应用方面的领先专业知识，有机会建立完整的欧洲价值链和新的工业事业。
关键功能不仅内置于能源系统、车辆或数据中心。它们内置于半导体中。这就是为什么对半导体产能的投资是对欧洲未来竞争力和韧性的投资。
基于宽禁带材料的先进功率电子器件可以减少损耗，并将多个转换级组合成更高效的系统。将全球功率转换效率提高仅仅一个百分点，将带来巨大的全球环境效益并减少废热。
瑞典在这方面拥有长期的世界级专业知识，但为了确保以下方面，制造需要在更大程度上在本土进行：
- 稳健的电网配电：在整合可再生电力和远距离输电（HVDC）时显著减少损耗。
- 瑞典电动汽车：实现更快的充电、更轻的重量和更长的续航。
- 高效流程工业：通过升级驱动系统减少隐藏的能源损耗。
没有国内生产，我们面临新的不确定进口依赖，这将减缓我们的电气化进程。
国家战略利基
最近发布的IVA报告（RISE参与其中）明确强调了瑞典在研究和创新方面的优势，但也指出了在将技术全面推向工业规模方面的结构性弱点。
这一观点在Semiconductor Sweden内部得到广泛认同，产业界、学术界和公共部门参与者共同制定了加强瑞典半导体地位的战略方向。
一个关键结论是，仅仅在研究的早期阶段强大是不够的。决定性问题是我们扩展技术的能力。
讨论恰好强调了为什么像Lab2Fab这样的倡议是必要的。对于SiC功率电子等技术，关键挑战往往不是发明而是产业化。通过创建更强的规模化环境和试点制造能力，我们可以加速从研究到市场的旅程，同时加强欧洲的半导体价值链。
在充满大规模国际补贴的全球竞赛中，瑞典必须确保自己的供应链。我们不应争夺通用的大型晶圆厂，而应利用我们已经领先的利基领域：功率电子、光子学、先进传感器、高频技术和微机电系统（MEMS）。
瑞典在创办公司方面非常成功，但保留硬件制造的条件需要加强。资本和运营会转移到商业条件最有利的地方，如果没有合适的环境，公司将从瑞典迁往欧洲内外的其他国家。关键问题是我们扩展技术并在瑞典保留价值创造的能力。
扭转趋势需要什么
如果要扭转这一趋势，有三件事至关重要：
- 工业发展和基础设施：瑞典需要专注于可重复性和过程控制的发展环境，其中从材料到演示器和认证的整个链条都可以管理。
- 长期投资：半导体是资本密集型的，需要持久性。基础设施必须被视为战略投资。
- 更快的规模化路径：瑞典必须更好地将技术从研究推向工业生产。决定性的挑战不是缺乏研究，而是缺乏扩展技术并在瑞典保留价值创造的能力。
这需要一个更强大的研究所层，拥有将技术从实验室带到生产所需的授权、资源和长期承诺。瑞典需要集成的开发、测试和规模化环境，以降低风险、提高技术成熟度并使产业能够投资。
半导体是世界上资本最密集的技术领域之一。因此，研究和创新基础设施必须被视为国家战略投资，而不是短期项目成本。技术竞争力、供应安全和工业发展将需要持续的投资。
瑞典拥有强大的研究、有竞争力的工业基础和有利的条件，可以在半导体领域占据领先地位。但仅靠有利条件是不够的。需要的是现代产业政策、长期投资和能够将技术从研究带到竞争性生产的创新体系。这意味着研究、政策制定者和产业界都要采取强有力的积极行动，共同努力，以更明确的工业规模化重点来利用和建设瑞典的优势。
在RISE，我们期待与政策制定者和产业界合作，采取果断行动，在瑞典建设有竞争力的技术主权。未来价值创造是在瑞典还是其他地方发生，这个问题现在就要决定。
Björn Samel
RISE新兴硬件技术副总裁
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This article was originally published by RISE – Sweden's independent government research institute, and is republished here with permission.
Guest article by: Björn Samel, Vice president, Emerging hardware technologies, RISE
© Björn Samel
We export knowledge but all too often import the value creation. At a time characterised by geopolitical tensions and vulnerable supply chains, this is ultimately about autonomy and technological sovereignty: our ability to secure access to the critical components on which our society, competitiveness and security depend.
At RISE, we have worked in the semiconductor field for more than 35 years. By driving the development of silicon carbide (SiC)-based power electronics and providing open innovation environments, we act as a bridge between academia and commercial industry. It is precisely here, in the step from the laboratory to scalable production, that Sweden’s greatest challenge and opportunity lie. A large part of our mission at RISE is to increase the technology readiness level in an environment that mirrors industrial requirements. Without that opportunity, otherwise promising innovations often stall before reaching large-scale production and creating Swedish jobs.
Scaling up: the key to future energy systems
The need for industrial scale-up is significant across many fields, but energy and power semiconductors are particularly interesting because they represent one of the few technology areas where Europe still holds strong positions across much of the value chain. With leading expertise in materials, power electronics and industrial applications, there is an opportunity to build complete European value chains and new industrial ventures.
Critical functions are not only built into energy systems, vehicles or data centres. They are built into semiconductors. This is why investments in semiconductor capacity are investments in Europe’s future competitiveness and resilience.
Advanced power electronics based on wide-bandgap materials make it possible to reduce losses and combine several conversion stages into more efficient systems. Increasing the efficiency of the world’s power conversion by just a single percentage point would deliver enormous global environmental benefits and reduce wasted heat.
Here Sweden has a long-standing world-class expertise, but manufacturing needs to take place to a greater extent on home soil in order to secure:
- Robust electricity grid distribution: Significantly reduces losses when integrating renewable electricity and long-distance transmission (HVDC).
- Swedish e-mobility: Enables faster charging, lower weight and longer range.
- Efficient process industries: Cuts hidden energy losses through upgraded drive systems.
Without domestic production, we risk new and uncertain import dependencies that slow down our electrification efforts.
A national strategy for strategic niches
The recently published IVA report, to which RISE contributed, clearly highlights Sweden’s strengths in research and innovation, but also the structural weaknesses in taking technology all the way to industrial scale.
This view is widely shared within Semiconductor Sweden, where industry, academia and public sector actors have jointly developed a strategic direction for strengthening Sweden’s position in semiconductors.
One key conclusion is that it is not enough to be strong in the early stages of research. The decisive issue is our ability to scale technology.
The discussion highlights exactly why initiatives such as Lab2Fab are needed. For technologies like SiC power electronics, the critical challenge is often not invention but industrialisation. By creating stronger scale-up environments and pilot manufacturing capabilities, we can accelerate the journey from research to market while strengthening Europe's semiconductor value chain.
In a global race characterised by massive international subsidies, Sweden must secure its own supply chains. We should not compete for generic megafabs but capitalise on the niches where we already lead: power electronics, photonics, advanced sensors, high-frequency technologies and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
Sweden is highly successful at starting companies, but the conditions for retaining hardware manufacturing need to be strengthened. Capital and operations move to where the conditions for doing business are most favourable, and without the right environment, companies will relocate from Sweden to other countries both within and outside Europe. The critical issue is our ability to scale technology and retain value creation in Sweden.
What is required to reverse the trend
Three things are critical if we are to reverse this trend:
- Industrial development and infrastructure: Sweden needs development environments focused on repeatability and process control, where the entire chain from materials to demonstrators and qualification can be managed.
- Long-term investment: Semiconductors are capital-intensive and require persistence. Infrastructure must be regarded as a strategic investment.
- Faster pathways to scale-up: Sweden must become better at taking technology from research to industrial production. The decisive challenge is not a lack of research, but a lack of ability to scale technology and retain value creation in Sweden.
This requires a stronger institute layer with the mandate, resources and long-term commitment needed to take technology all the way from the laboratory to production. Sweden needs integrated development, testing and scale-up environments that can reduce risk, increase technology readiness and enable industry to invest.
Semiconductors are among the most capital-intensive technology sectors in the world. Research and innovation infrastructure must therefore be viewed as a strategic national investment, not as a short-term project cost. Technological competitiveness, security of supply and industrial development will require sustained investment over time.
Sweden has strong research, a competitive industrial base and favourable conditions for taking a leading position in semiconductors. But favourable conditions alone are not enough. What is required is a modern industrial policy, long-term investment and an innovation system capable of taking technology all the way from research to competitive production. This means strong and proactive action from research, policymakers and industry alike, working together to make the most of and build on Sweden’s strengths with a clearer focus on industrial scale-up.
At RISE, we look forward to working together with policymakers and industry to take decisive action in building competitive technological sovereignty in Sweden. The question of whether the value creation of the future takes place in Sweden or elsewhere will be decided now.
Björn Samel
Vice president, Emerging hardware technologies, RISE
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