PETALING JAYA: Malaysian companies have sealed deals worth US$38.4mil (RM175.9mil) at the recent Semicon West 2023, a microelectronics exhibition and conference, held in San Francisco, the United States recently, according to Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade).

       In a statement, Matrade deputy chief executive officer Sharimahton Mat Saleh said 2023 marked the national trade agency’s 13th year of participating in Semicon West.

       “This exceptional achievement underscores the strong interest and confidence in Malaysia’s technical capabilities within the electrical and electronics (E&E) industry,” she said.

       Sharimahton said Malaysia curently accounts for 7% of global semiconductor trade and 13% of global chip assembly, testing, and packaging.

       The Malaysian pavilion at the San Francisco event, held from July 11 to 13, featured a diverse range of microelectronics, including cutting-edge products and technologies in automated testing equipment, vision inspection machines, precision dispensing systems, electronic manufacturing services, and outsourced semiconductor testing and assembly services.Matrade, which aims to drive the exports of E&E, led 11 local companies like ATC Surface Finishing, Coraza Systems, NSW Automation and many more to Semicon West 2023.

       Trade Commissioner of Matrade at Los Angeles Irvin Francis said Matrade remains dedicated to elevating the country’s technological excellence on the global stage.

       “Semicon West 2024 in San Francisco, California, and Semicon West 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona, are already in our plans. We will continue to strategically position Malaysia through our continuous presence at such iconic events” Francis added.

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       The E&E sector is the country’s top export, valued at US$134.8bil (RM593.2bil) in 2022.

       This signalled a 22.5% growth from 2021 when the E&E sector contributed 38.3% of the country’s total exports.

       Semiconductor devices and integrated circuits accounted for 65.2% of Malaysia’s total E&E exports in 2022, valued at US$67.83bil (RM386.89bil).

       Matrade said Singapore, the United States, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan were its major export markets.

       In 2022, Malaysia ranked as the 12th largest exporter of E&E products and the sixth largest semiconductor exporter worldwide.