ISLAMABAD
\nEfforts are underway to make silicon wafers directly available in Pakistan through Daraz.pk, the country\u2019s largest e-commerce platform and an Alibaba Group subsidiary, cutting cost by 90%.
\nThe move aims to address one of the key barriers in local hardware and semiconductor research, the limited and costly access to wafer materials essential for experimentation and prototyping. Speaking to Gwadar Pro, Toor Khan, Founder and CEO of South Asia Semiconductor Pvt. Ltd., said that discussions with several Chinese manufacturers are progressing to make wafer products available online.
\nHe explained that the initiative could reduce procurement costs by more than 90 percent, allowing researchers, startups, and universities to order wafers locally with shipping costs as low as USD 2, compared to the USD 40\u201380 usually charged by international couriers. Khan added that the company is also developing Pakistan\u2019s first locally fabricated PMOS transistor, a fundamental component used in nearly all modern electronics.
\nThe project is currently in the early R&D and prototyping phase, with the first working prototype expected within the next two to three months. The goal, he said, is to demonstrate that Pakistan can design and fabricate its own silicon transistor using locally available processes and equipment.
\nHe further shared that the broader plan involves establishing a semiconductor fabrication and training facility in the Islamabad Technology Zone (STZA), where students, researchers, and engineers can gain practical experience in chipmaking. \u201cOur roadmap starts with discrete transistors and will expand into power ICs, MEMS devices, and memory chips,\u201d he explained.
\nAs part of these efforts, Khan highlighted a recent milestone encouraging Chinese silicon wafer suppliers to register on Daraz.pk, which could lower material shipping costs to around USD 2 per delivery. He described this as a small but significant step toward making semiconductor research more affordable in Pakistan.
\nPakistan\u2019s growing interest in semiconductor design, power electronics, and MEMS research has long been constrained by the absence of a domestic supply chain for essential materials such as silicon wafers. Researchers often depend on foreign vendors, face lengthy customs procedures, and incur high transportation costs, making even small-scale research prohibitively expensive.
\nTwo Chinese manufacturers, Leze Laser Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. and Chengdu Paralight Optics Co. Ltd. have already expressed interest in listing their products on Daraz.pk. If successful, this would create Pakistan\u2019s first localized semiconductor material supply channel, significantly improving access for academic and industrial users. \u2014 DNA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Efforts are underway to make silicon wafers directly available in Pakistan through Daraz.pk, the country\u2019s largest e-commerce platform and an Alibaba Group subsidiary, cutting cost by 90%. The move aims to address one of the key barriers in local hardware and semiconductor research, the limited and costly access to wafer materials essential for experimentation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-507572","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n