Chips, choices, and a future we must make now

During a coffee chat with one of my MIT fellows—an expert in global chip markets—he raised an eyebrow when I mentioned our country's ambition to invest in chip fabs. "Can you really afford it?" he asked.

I smiled and replied, "We siphon off over $16 billion every year through illicit financial flows—enough to fund three state-of-the-art semiconductor fabs." That sobered him up.

The recently released report by the semiconductor taskforce and the two-day Bangladesh National Semiconductor Symposium 2025 laid out a phased strategy: beginning with chip design, then advancing to outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing (OSAT), and eventually to full-scale fabrication. It's a pragmatic roadmap, and we must applaud the interim government for having the courage to table it. Yet, vision alone is not enough. Execution, ethics, and equity matter even more.

Several local players like Akij Group, Walton, Fair Group, DBL Group's Neural Semiconductor, and Ulkasemi (with a $25 million design lab commitment) have entered the scene. Combined, early-stage investment pledges exceed $125 million: a promising, albeit modest, start.

The challenges, however, run deeper than technical sequencing. The taskforce document fails to address key issues like environmental compliance in OSAT operations and securing international certifications to build export credibility. Ethical considerations are entirely absent as well. There's no attention to aligning semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) development with pro-worker values or broader social equity.

A critical insight is also absent from the BEAR Summit 2025, held alongside the semiconductor symposium: the role of sovereign data governance in a chip-led future. As data becomes the "new oil," countries without robust data ownership laws and ethical AI regulation may find these new industries reduced to mere outsourced labour hubs. We must resist becoming victims of "data colonialism", trading away our digital future for short-term contracts.

In previous industrial revolutions, we were left behind for lack of capital and access to technology. But in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), we finally possess the tools: affordable internet, widespread computing, and a digitally literate, youthful workforce.

Embedding pro-worker AI into our semiconductor vision is essential. This means ensuring labour safety, data dignity, and worker-driven innovation. Smart factories should enable, not displace, human labour.

Take the case of the Ella Pad initiative: a homegrown circular economy solution turning garment scrap into reusable sanitary pads. Now, it requires millions of microchips for traceability and data-driven distribution. These low-cost, pro-worker AI solutions reflect a new wave of smart hygiene, empowering the underserved community and creating dignified jobs.

Another overlooked issue is talent retention. Producing engineers isn't enough; we must keep them here too. China's Thousand Talents Program lured back its diaspora with research funding, housing, and career incentives. We must design our own brain-gain strategy or risk training talent for export only.

We must also look outward. Taiwan built global chip supremacy through smart public–private partnerships and export guarantees. India has pledged $10 billion for semiconductor self-reliance. Vietnam is digitising its industrial zones to attract chip packaging investments. We don't need to replicate them—but we must learn quickly.

With global chip sales surpassing $59 billion in May 2025, and demand from smart fashion, hygiene, and supply chain sectors rising sharply, the time is now. Leading apparel brands are integrating chips for traceability and health monitoring—areas where our readymade garment sector and homegrown innovations like Ella Pad can lead with the right ecosystem.

Our semiconductor journey isn't just about technology. It's about reclaiming our future with integrity, inclusion, and pro-worker AI. Let's not miss this moment again. Because the question isn't whether we can build a chip industry—it's whether we can afford not to.

The writer is coordinator of Ella Alliance and founder of Ella Pad