Global Leader in Semiconductor and Photonics

With 90% of Canada ‘s industrial telecommunications R&D taking place in Ottawa it should not be a surprise that the region houses the largest cluster of semiconductor and photonics talent in the country. The Ottawa region’s rich history in the semiconductor and photonics has provided it with an integrated III-IV supply chain, from chip design through to foundry, to prototyping, package design, and testing.

A recent study by Doyletech concluded that Ottawa’s semiconductor, optics and telecommunications sector is a vital component of the Canadian economy, generating C$12.65 billion in output across Canada in 2024 and supporting more than 48,453 jobs. Ottawa is home to Canada’s Largest Technology Park, the Kanata Research Park, which houses many of the companies/organizations involved in the semiconductor design, test and associated hardware. It is estimated that the Canadian Gross Output is for semiconductors is $26B and a recent study showed that Ottawa companies represent almost 50% of that GDP.

In the compound semiconductor domain, Ottawa is one of the most complete ecosystems in North America from a supply chain perspective. This legacy is built around the design, fabrication, and packaging of compound semiconductors. The capabilities include the engineering expertise to design both the compound semiconductors and the associated products that use these devices, as well as the engineering expertise to process the semiconductors and the complex packaging of these devices. This expertise is utilized in many vertical markets including Aerospace and Defense, Automotive, Renewable energy, Health care, Telecommunications and Datacom and data centers.