SEMI today have appointed Dr André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé, President and CEO of SOITEC, as Chairman of the SEMI European Advisory Board. He has succeeded Dr Franz Richter, CEO of Thin Materials AG, who served as Chairman for the past year.

"As the newly-appointed chairman of the SEMI Europe Advisory Board, I will continue to carry forward the SEMI message and work with the European Commission as a member of the High Level Group on Key Enabling Technologies. SEMI Europe works towards concrete results for a competitive playing field in Europe, especially maintaining manufacturing in Europe and allowing member states to contribute to investments in manufacturing equipment," said Dr Auberton-Hervé.

Semiconductors are the driving force behind leading European industries, such as telecom, automotive, aerospace, machine tools, defense, medical and more. They will be central to solutions addressing climate change, energy conservation, renewable energy, security and healthcare. As such, SEMI recognises that semiconductors are critical to the European economy and welfare and must therefore be prioritized on the EU agenda to keep leading European industries competitive.

"The semiconductor industry is a cornerstone of competitiveness and innovation in Europe, the world's largest business market. We have strategic assets in our clusters of excellence, R&D facilities, suppliers and manufacturers," said Auberton-Hervé. "However, to attract new national and international investment and invigorate the manufacturing base, we must streamline funding mechanisms, broaden incentives and facilitate avenues for cooperation."

Auberton-Hervé has long played an active role in SEMI activities. In 1995, he was elected to the SEMI International Board of Directors. He is also the recipient of the 1999 European SEMI Award in recognition of his work on Smart Cut technology and his overall contributions to the greater semiconductor industry.

SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. SEMI member companies, composed 90% of SMEs, are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Bengaluru, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C.

SOITEC is a French success story. A spin-off from CEA-LETI, Soitec is the world leader in the field of SOI wafers, employing thousand people in Grenoble). For their work in taking research and development into commerciatlisation, he received the "Medaille de l'Audace Creatrice" from French President Chirac in 2006.

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