Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said that after the ready-made garment industry, the semiconductor industry could be Bangladesh’s new sector of economic promise.
The prime minister said: “To turn this potential next main driver of economic prosperity into reality, the government has already begun implementing an all-out plan, including creating a business-friendly environment.”
He made the remarks as chief guest at the opening of the “National Semiconductor Symposium and BEAR Summit 2026” at the Novo Theatre in the capital on Saturday.
The two-day National Semiconductor Symposium and BEAR Summit 2026 has been organised with the aim of building Bangladesh into a global centre of semiconductor and deep-tech innovation.
The prime minister said the present government wants to build a Bangladesh that is self-reliant, prosperous and technology-driven.
Describing semiconductors as one of the foundations of the fourth and fifth industrial revolutions, the prime minister said chips or semiconductors are indispensable in every field — artificial intelligence, robotics, data centres, renewable energy, medical technology, and everything from mobile phones to space technology.
The prime minister said the size of the global semiconductor market will reach about 1 trillion US dollars within 2026. There are significant opportunities for Bangladesh too in this huge market. He believes it will be possible to achieve the export-earnings target set for this sector by 2030.
The prime minister described the development of the semiconductor industry as a national mission rather than the responsibility of a single ministry. Government, universities, research institutions, industrialists, entrepreneurs and expatriate Bangladeshi experts must work together, he said.
Setting out the steps the government has taken to accelerate the sector, the prime minister said: “In the current budget, all taxes and duties have been withdrawn on the raw materials needed for the semiconductor industry. Alongside this, an initiative has been taken to introduce a cash incentive on export earnings from semiconductor design services.”
The prime minister also said the government has for the first time allocated a 500 crore taka startup grant a year for young entrepreneurs, and that its disbursement process has begun.
Noting initiatives to build bonded facilities and specialised infrastructure to attract foreign and domestic investment, the prime minister said the government also plans to build a new biotech park alongside modernising the existing hi-tech parks.
Highlighting the tough competition in the international market, the prime minister expressed firm optimism: “Despite various limitations, we have an indomitable will to move forward. It is on our talent, our skilled youth and our innovative power that we will achieve this goal. The government will stand beside you with everything in its power to help your dreams and indomitable will reach the desired goal.”
The prime minister expressed the hope that the conference would create new partnerships, research initiatives and investment opportunities that would take Bangladesh’s technology sector far forward.
At the end of the event the prime minister declared the “National Semiconductor Symposium and BEAR Summit 2026” open and took part in a photo session with local and foreign delegates.
The two-day summit, on the theme “Building Bangladesh’s semiconductor future through global partnership,” is organised by the Semiconductor Industry Association (BSIA), the Ministry of Science and Technology and Silicon River Bangladesh.
At the BEAR Innovation Expo 2026 held alongside the summit, students and startup entrepreneurs displayed semiconductor, artificial-intelligence, robotics, health-technology and other deep-tech innovations at 35 stalls. The prime minister toured the exhibition.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report