Costa Rica is in the middle of a battle with neighboring and distant countries. The fight, of course, is not with weapons but with offering the best human talent and the most attractive conditions so that semiconductor companies can establish themselves and thus be able to take advantage of all the potential and economic benefits of this industry.
The country has turned chips into one of the main bets for its economic and productive future, a model that other nations are implementing with the same expectations. But what are those rivals? Their main characteristic is that they are very close or very far away.
“Countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia are going to be very present and great competitors in this race to attract the attention of companies,” mentions Cinde’s Investment Climate Director, Vanessa Gibson.
In contrast to those nations on the other side of the world are others in the geographical neighborhood. “Not to mention Mexico and Panama, which are in the same hemisphere with us,” details Gibson. Regarding competition, the expert emphasizes that not only the manufacturing of semiconductors is in dispute, but also other associated areas.
“Here it is not just about manufacturing companies, it is something very important. Competition is not only waged on attracting manufacturing companies, but there are many subcontracting companies, providers of high-level services,” he highlighted.
Costa Rica expands its bets to get on the radar
El Observador spoke with Gibson in the context of Semicon West, the most important global summit on semiconductors. At the event, several groups from Costa Rica were presenting the country as a destination.
Among these delegations was also the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (Procomer), which maintains that the national offer has several added values to remain in the competition.
“Costa Rica is a strategic partner for the semiconductor industry and we are going to facilitate key meetings to present our value proposition to companies in the industry,” said the general manager of the promoter, Laura López.
“This country offer is based on the recognized political stability and history of peace, legal security for the investor, as well as attractive incentives, combined with human talent and a robust ecosystem of local suppliers,” he added. Another detail highlighted is the sustainability axis, where Costa Rica takes advantage over other rivals.
The semiconductor menu
Costa Rica entered the semiconductor map a quarter of a century ago with the arrival of Intel. The firm currently has design and research areas, assembly and testing of processors, as well as a business services center, installed in the country. More firms have joined this with various bets in the area.
“The country is home for Qorvo, dedicated to the manufacture of radio frequency filters; Teradyne, which offers test solutions for semiconductors, electronic systems and wireless devices,” Procomer mentioned.
In addition, there is also R&D Altanova, specialized in engineering, design, manufacturing and assembly services and manufacturing of advanced technology printed circuit boards.
