News: Suppliers
4 November 2026
CSconnected sponsors event in Cardiff focusing on semiconductor startups
CSconnected Ltd, the not-for-profit organization driving the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales, sponsored Silicon Catalyst’s ‘Forming, Storming, Norming & Performing for Semiconductor Startups’ event at Cardiff University on 28 October, as it sets out South Wales as the place for semiconductor businesses to start, scale and stay.
Themed ‘Powering, Connecting and Sensing the Future’, the event was hosted by Silicon Catalyst in collaboration with Cardiff University’s Optoelectronics and RF departments. It shone a spotlight on compound semiconductors and the innovation emerging from Cardiff and the South Wales cluster, and showcased the 11 start-ups in ChipStart UK’s fourth cohort — giving them a direct line to the researchers, investors, manufacturers and supply chain partners who can help them grow.
CSconnected played a central role in the afternoon’s program. CSconnected’s managing director Howard Rupprecht delivered a keynote on ‘The Welsh Semiconductor Story: From Heritage to Global Leadership’, tracing how South Wales grew from its industrial roots into a globally significant semiconductor cluster.
CSconnected’s chair Dr Wyn Meredith joined the closing panel on building a world-class semiconductor ecosystem, alongside leaders from the Semiconductor Catapult, Cardiff University, IQE, Space Forge and Deep Tech Labs, to debate what it will take for the UK and South Wales to remain globally competitive.
“South Wales has something genuinely rare: research, manufacturing and a supply chain that sit within a few miles of each other,” notes Rupprecht. “For a start-up, that means access to the people, facilities and expertise it needs to develop and scale its technology here. We want the founders in this cohort to see what is available and to consider Wales as the place to build their business.”
For CSconnected, the event is about more than profile. The cluster’s work centers on strengthening the regional supply chain, so that companies coming to South Wales can find the materials, fabrication, equipment, test and skills expertise that they need within reach. Connecting early-stage companies with that ecosystem from the outset gives them the best chance of building their future in the region.
Earlier this year, CSconnected completed the fourth and final round of its £1m Supply Chain Development Programme, in partnership with Cardiff Capital Region (CCR), which offered grants of up to £100,000 to help businesses invest in new equipment, develop new products and build specialist skills. Across four funding rounds, the program has supported 11 projects, from businesses such as KuasaSemi and NetZero Semiconductors to firms in Oxford and the Wirral that are now plugging into the supply chain being built in South Wales.
The cluster’s growth is reflected in independent analysis from the Welsh Economy Research Unit (WERU) at Cardiff University. In 2025, the cluster supported £436m of gross value-added (GVA) and 3140 jobs across Wales, up from £172m and 2085 jobs in 2020. Annual sales reached £531m, with more than 90% exported, and average salaries of around £66,000 sit well above the Welsh average.
Spanning world-leading research through to global-scale manufacturing, the cluster underpins technologies from power electronics and electric vehicles to 5G and 6G communications, sensing, AI and quantum. CSconnected’s ambition is to grow cluster revenue to £1bn and employment to 6000 jobs by 2030.
See related items:
CSconnected celebrates impact of Strength in Places Fund program
https://www.semiconductor-today.com/news_items/2026/sep/csconnected-180926.shtml
CSconnected unveils awardees for final call of £1m Supply Chain Development Programme
South Wales cluster CSconnected issues SIPF program impact report
CSconnected supporting £436m for Welsh economy and 3140 jobs
