The semiconductor industry is one of the key sectors for the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum. According to Plan Mexico, the goal for 2030 is to double the local supply in chip production and reach US$10 billion in investment, and the north of the country is a key area to achieve these goals.
Initially, Plan Mexico considers the northern border area and the northwest of the country as two of the main industrial parks with the greatest impact on the sector, and this decision is not accidental, as it is one of the most developed regions in terms of chip infrastructure.
Although the document stresses that the polygons are not limiting and that more areas could be considered, the reality is that in the north of the country, there is already the presence of multiple companies focused on the segment of discrete semiconductors and integrated electronic circuits, known collectively as SC-Core.
In this sense, the north and the Bajío are two of the most promising areas in Mexico in the SC-Core segment, according to the United States-Mexico Foundation for Science (Fumec) and the United States Agency for International Development.
According to studies by these institutions, most of the investments are concentrated in Baja California, the country's main electronics production center, followed by Jalisco, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas.
Within these states are distributed all the processes of the semiconductor supply chain available in the country, i.e., they have networks of clean rooms, design, manufacturing, assembly, packaging and testing, as well as academia focused on the sector and research and development.
According to figures from the document Nearshoring of semiconductors in Mexico, based on the National Statistical Directory of Economic Units, there are 326 facilities related to the semiconductor segment in the border area.
Some of the most important companies located in this area are Foxconn and Qualcomm, in Baja California; Amphenol, in Sonora; Foxconn, in Chihuahua; Celestica, in Coahuila; Lenovo, in Nuevo Leon; and LG, in Tamaulipas.
Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer and known as the largest assembler of Apple's iPhone, announced the construction in Mexico of the largest chip manufacturing plant in the world, which will be located in the city of Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco.
For several years, Foxconn has made important investments in Mexico, among the most important of which are those made in Chihuahua, a northern state that borders the United States, with figures of up to more than 500 million dollars.
“The proximity of the Northern Border to the United States offers a geographical advantage that can be used to participate in the semiconductor supply chain. This advantage facilitates the movement of people quickly and affordably, which serves as a basis for binational collaboration,” the document explains.
An example of this collaboration has occurred between Arizona State University, along with Sonora and Nuevo Leon, entities that have developed specialized chip programs to prepare young people in this industry.
Source:
- El Financiero: México tendrá la planta de ‘superchips más grande del mundo’; fabricará semiconductores para Nvidia” consultado en:
- Mexico Now, “ Mexico’s Bajio and northern region seeks to boost the chip industry” consultado en:
https://mexico-now.com/mexicos-bajio-and-northern-region-seeks-to-boost-the-chip-industry/