When the Scottish semiconductor company Clas-SiC signs up a new customer, it doesn’t identify them using an account number, instead it gives them a whisky name such as Talisker, Lagavulin, Scapa.
The tradition has become something of a calling card, says Jen Walls, chief executive of the company which pioneers silicon carbide semiconductors. Clas-SiC keeps a stock of miniature whiskies ready and waiting at its HQ in Lochgelly to greet visiting clients, a gesture that makes just the right impression.
Clas-SiC, based in Lochgelly, Fife, is the UK’s only commercial facility that manufactures silicon carbide devices and is operating in one of the most advanced – and fiercely competitive – corners of modern manufacturing. State-of-the-art semiconductors are vital to electric vehicles, wind turbines and fast, high-power charging systems. With the renewable and green energy markets predicted to grow significantly in the coming decade, semiconductors will boost the efficiency of wind power grids and other infrastructure.
Scotland has five decades of semiconductor manufacturing heritage, and today innovation from companies such as Clas-SiC is quietly underpinning the transition to cleaner energy, even if most people never see – or even understand – the products they make.
The proud story began with the birth of the high-tech sector of Scotland, which became known as “Silicon Glen”. In 1960, Hughes Aircraft (later Raytheon UK) opened a facility in Glenrothes, kicking off the manufacturing of semiconductors. Then, leading US firms set up wafer fabrication and transistor production facilities in the country.
By the 1980s and early 1990s, Scotland had become one of Europe’s most significant electronics and semiconductor hubs, serving international customers. “Back when I started in semiconductors in the 90s, semiconductors were absolutely thriving here in Scotland,” says Walls. “The central belt had lots of large companies, including NEC Semiconductors, Motorola, National Semiconductors.”
Walls has spent 33 years in the semiconductor industry and is now in her third year as Clas-SiC’s CEO. Wherever she goes to promote the business – conferences, trade shows, boardrooms – the reaction is the same. “Nobody expects a semiconductor company to be located in Scotland,” she says. “People are always surprised because we’re not seen as being able to compete with China and the rest of Europe but they forget that Scotland has the legacy of the Silicon Glen years.” And now, Scotland boasts leading capabilities in adjacent sectors such as artificial intelligence, space, renewable energy, robotics and life sciences, to take this legacy forward.
Clas-SiC was founded in 2017 after shareholders in a previous venture decided to exit the market but wanted to preserve what they saw as something valuable: the workforce. “They spotted the wealth of talent of the Scottish people,” Walls says, and backed the founding team to start again.
That talent, she says, comes with a particular work ethic. “One thing about the Scottish people is we stick with it until it’s done. We don’t give up easily,” she says. “When a problem comes up, our team will stay with it until we overcome it. Everybody goes the extra mile – and we all wear many hats.”
That philosophy is nurtured in Scotland’s world-class universities, which provide a continuous stream of highly skilled talent. Scotland’s long, proud history of innovation, invention and industry has been boosted particularly by five high-ranking research universities, which work across semiconductors, quantum, photonics and sensing technologies, becoming vital cogs in the UK’s semiconductor ecosystem, which foster innovation in next-generation technologies.
Scotland also boasts the UK’s only Fraunhofer research centre, which specialises in lasers and optical systems for applications spanning energy, healthcare, defence, communications and net zero. It’s based at the University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre.
Clas-SiC is the UK’s only commercial facility that manufactures silicon carbide wafers
There are other advantages, too. Scotland is an accessible destination, so customers are keen to visit. Clas-SiC is close to St Andrews, not far from Edinburgh, and visitors are often struck by the contrast between the rural setting and the precision engineering happening inside. “We’re welcoming and friendly,” Walls says. “People like coming here.”
That same appeal is resonating with investors. In 2024, Walls embarked on a global search for funding to support the company’s expansion. It proved worthwhile: she secured a £12m investment from India.
Again, Walls attributes that success less to spreadsheets than to people. “They came here, met the team, saw how innovative we are, where we fit into the worldwide ecosystem and supply chain – and they were extremely impressed,” she says. “It was the people and the culture that brought that investment in.” In return for this investment, the Chennai-based business will be represented on the Scottish firm’s board of directors.
The culture, she insists, is resolutely unflashy. She recalls visiting an overseas supplier, riding a VIP escalator to a glossy boardroom to present to serious senior executives. By the end, the room was laughing. Afterwards, a translator explained why: the executives liked the Clas-SiC team because they weren’t overly polished. “You just came in and said exactly what you do, how you do it and where the challenges are,” the translator said.
For Walls, that bluntness is a strength. “That’s Scottish culture,” she says. “Honesty, determination, resilience – those things really shine through.”
The company’s path hasn’t always been smooth. Clas-SiC has had to reshape itself repeatedly as markets and technologies have shifted. Licensing has become a major wing of its operation. “How the business was when it was founded is very different from how we are today,” Walls says.
So far, she adds, technology growth has been driven entirely by private investment, and because the company is so innovative and flexible, it’s attracting new revenue streams all the time.
So the future looks bright: Scotland’s Critical Technologies Supercluster, a vibrant network of overlapping and mutually supportive technology sub-sectors which brings together quantum, photonics, semiconductors and sensing, hopes to achieve £10bn turnover by 2035, creating nearly 6,600 additional high-quality jobs.
Clas-SiC could be a key player in that journey, thanks to its inventive approach. “We have to continue to be innovative and we will be,” says Walls. “There’s a lot of drive towards innovation in Scotland – and that’s one of its overriding strengths.”
The innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of this country, which combines cutting-edge opportunity with rich heritage and stunning landscapes, is drawing global talent and investment. The miniature whiskies don’t hurt, either.
Find out more about opportunities to live and work, study, visit or do business in Scotland at Scotland.org
