CSconnected

What CSconnected does

CSconnected Limited is a not-for-profit cluster organisation, founded in 2015 in South Wales, United Kingdom, that coordinates the world's first compound semiconductor cluster. The organisation represents an integrated ecosystem spanning front-end wafer fabrication through back-end packaging and device testing for materials including Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), Gallium Nitride (GaN), Indium Phosphide (InP), and Silicon Carbide (SiC), with cluster members including IQE, KLA Corporation, Vishay Intertechnology, Microchip Technology, Nexperia, CSA Catapult, Compound Semiconductor Centre, MicroLink Devices UK, and emerging SMEs such as Pegasus Chemicals, RAM Innovations, KuasaSemi, and Ffotoneg. Core activities include industry-academia-government coordination, skills and STEM outreach, advocacy for UK semiconductor sovereignty, supply chain grant deployment, and event-driven networking at venues such as Photonics West, CS Mantech, SEMICON, and the in-house 'Inside the Cluster' forums. CSconnected co-locates with CSA Catapult in Newport and operates alongside Cardiff University's Institute for Compound Semiconductors (ICS) and Swansea University's £55M Centre for Integrated Semiconductor Materials (CISM), supported by the Welsh Government-acquired Centre 7 hub at Cardiff Gate Business Park.

The cluster CSconnected manages supports 3,140 jobs (1,914 direct, 1,226 indirect), generates £531m in annual sales, contributes £436m in Gross Value Added (up 19% year-over-year), and exports £466m of goods globally in 2024, with GVA per employee of £150,061 — approximately 2.5x the UK manufacturing average. Notable technical milestones attributable to the cluster include the world's first 200mm (8-inch) VCSEL epiwafer (IQE), 3.3 kV mSiC power modules (Microchip), multi-junction flexible solar cells fabricated at Swansea (MicroLink Devices UK), and a process-ready 6-inch InP DFB laser platform. Recent investments from anchor companies include KLA's $138m Newport innovation center (67,000 sq ft of cleanrooms for ~750 staff) and Vishay's $335.6m SiC factory; the South Wales semiconductor investment zone totals $214.9m.

CSconnected's revenue model is government-grant-led plus membership recurring fees. Primary funding flows from UK Research and Innovation via the Strength in Places Fund (a £43m, 55-month project with £25m UKRI contribution), the Welsh Government, and Cardiff Capital Region — the latter co-funding a £1m Supply Chain Development Programme that awards grants of up to £100,000 covering 50% of project costs to UK supply chain SMEs. A membership programme supplements grants with subscription fees from companies and organisations across the cluster. Distribution is hybrid: direct engagement with enterprise members and public-sector partners in the UK, plus global brand presence through international semiconductor conferences and partnerships with bodies such as TechWorks, Siemens (via CSA Catapult), Cadence Design Systems, and the Institute of Physics.

Name

CSconnected

Legal name

CSconnected Limited

Website

https://csconnected.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CSconnected Limited is a not-for-profit cluster organisation coordinating the world's first compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales, serving industry, academia, and government stakeholders including IQE, KLA, and Vishay.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Industry Cluster Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy) (BPAIAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Compound semiconductors
• Semiconductor cluster
• Supply chain development
• Semiconductor manufacturing
• Industry collaboration

Headquarters

HQ city

Wales

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: CSconnected receives funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Strength in Places Fund (SIPF), Welsh Government, and Cardiff Capital Region to support cluster development, skills initiatives, supply chain development programs, and infrastructure projects. The organization also manages grant programs providing up to £100,000 to supply chain companies.
2. Membership Fees: CSconnected operates a membership program for companies and organizations within the compound semiconductor ecosystem, providing access to cluster resources, networking events, and collaborative opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CSconnected operates as the world's first compound semiconductor cluster organisation, coordinating industry, academia, and government stakeholders in South Wales. It provides a paid membership programme, manages grant-funded supply chain development programmes, delivers skills training and CPD courses, hosts industry events and forums, and advocates for UK semiconductor sovereignty.

Product overview

CSconnected is a not-for-profit industry cluster organization, not a product company. It serves as the collective brand for the South Wales compound semiconductor ecosystem, providing coordination, skills development, supply chain programs, advocacy, and networking services for its member companies. The organization does not offer commercial products or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CSconnected Membership Programme A paid membership offering for companies and organisations in the compound semiconductor ecosystem, providing access to cluster resources, networking events, and collaborative opportunities with industry leaders, academia, and government stakeholders in South Wales.
• Supply Chain Development Programme A grant-funded programme offering up to £100,000 per company (covering up to 50% of project costs) to support UK SMEs in the compound semiconductor supply chain to develop new manufacturing, design, and materials capabilities. Co-delivered with Cardiff Capital Region.
• CSconnected SIPF CPD Courses Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses delivered under the CSconnected SIPF programme to upskill industry professionals in compound semiconductor technologies and related disciplines.

Quantifiable outcome

• £436m GVA contribution to Welsh economy (19% increase YoY)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, major, core and anchor.

• TechniquestsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Jointly created an interactive semiconductor exhibit at Techniquest in Cardiff Bay to showcase compound semiconductor impact. Funded by UKRI SIPF and EPSRC SWCS PBIAA. Reaches nearly 30,000 school pupils annually.
• Siemens plcmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2022Siemens entered a strategic innovation partnership with CSA Catapult in Newport, establishing a dedicated power electronics innovation hub. Siemens employees are based on site working on joint projects and collaborating with the UK power electronics ecosystem.
• Cardiff Capital RegioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint delivery of the £1m Supply Chain Development Programme offering grants up to £100,000 covering 50% of project costs to support the UK compound semiconductor supply chain.
• Cardiff UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCardiff University houses the Institute for Compound Semiconductors (ICS) and Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI) in the Translational Research Hub. WERU (Welsh Economy Research Unit) produces economic impact reports for the cluster.
• Swansea UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwansea University hosts the Centre for Integrated Semiconductor Materials (CISM), a £29.9M research and innovation facility at Bay Campus for semiconductor and advanced materials platforms.
• Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA Catapult is a key cluster partner based in Newport, working on power electronics, RF & microwave, photonics and advanced packaging. CSA Catapult co-locates with CSconnected and hosts the dedicated cluster headquarters.
• Whitefire Associates LtdsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDeveloped the interactive semiconductor exhibit for Techniquest in collaboration with CSconnected.
• IQEanchorOthersKey anchor company in the South Wales cluster, IQE developed the world's first 200mm VCSEL epiwafer supported by CSconnected SIPF. IQE is a leading global supplier of compound semiconductor materials.
• KLA CorporationanchorOthersMajor anchor company with R&D and manufacturing center under construction in Newport. SPTS division investment over $100 million with 67,000 sq ft of cleanrooms for 750 employees.
• Vishay IntertechnologyanchorOthersUS semiconductor company with $335.6 million silicon carbide semiconductor factory investment in South Wales.
• Cadence Design SystemsmajorOthersBacked a new design center as part of South Wales semiconductor investment zone ($214.9 million investment zone).
• Compound Semiconductor CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey cluster partner focused on compound semiconductor research and development, working closely with CSconnected on industry initiatives.
• TechWorkssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Semiconductors to Systems Summit 2026 event. TechWorks represents the UK semiconductor industry.
• MicroLink Devices UK LtdmajorOthersDemonstrated 'Made in Wales' multi-junction flexible solar cells at Swansea University facilities under CSconnected SIPF. Moved into Centre 7 hub.
• NexperiaanchorOthersKey anchor company in South Wales semiconductor cluster with manufacturing operations.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer Microelectronics Alliance: German applied-research network coordinating 13 Fraunhofer institutes on microelectronics, including compound semiconductor and power electronics R&D. Comparable as a publicly funded R&D cluster organization with member-industry collaboration programs, although much larger in scale than CSconnected.
• CEA-Leti: France's primary semiconductor and nanoelectronics research institute, with a similar industry-collaboration, technology-transfer, and skills-development mandate. Comparable as an established semiconductor cluster/incubator in continental Europe, with deeper resources than CSconnected.
• SEMI: Global semiconductor manufacturing industry association. Comparable to CSconnected as an industry-body peer focused on advocacy, events, and supply chain development for semiconductor manufacturing, though operating globally rather than regionally.
• imec: World-leading semiconductor R&D hub in Belgium, operating as a global cluster/research center with industry membership, foundry partnerships, and government co-funding. Comparable in industry-academia-government model and membership-driven operating model, though at much larger scale and with broader scope than CSconnected's compound-semiconductor focus.

Direct peers

• Silicon Europe Alliance: Alliance of European semiconductor clusters (including Silicon Saxony, DSP Valley, and others) focused on cross-border collaboration in micro- and nanoelectronics. Comparable as a cluster-of-clusters body, with similar advocacy, supply chain, and skills missions to CSconnected.
• Silicon Saxony: Europe's largest microelectronics and semiconductor cluster, based in Dresden, Germany. Directly comparable as a regional semiconductor industry-cluster organization coordinating industry, academia, and government to grow a fab/manufacturing ecosystem — a structural twin of CSconnected's South Wales model.
• TechWorks: UK semiconductor and deep-tech industry association representing the UK semiconductor ecosystem. Directly comparable as a UK industry-body peer; CSconnected has a documented partnership with TechWorks for the Semiconductors to Systems Summit 2026.

Others

• Compound Semiconductor Centre (CSC): Welsh compound semiconductor R&D center, a core cluster partner of CSconnected with a joint presence in the South Wales ecosystem. Highly adjacent in mission and geography — they are a working partner rather than a competitor.
• Siemens EDA: Electronic design automation unit of Siemens and a major cluster participant via the CSA Catapult power electronics innovation hub. Adjacent in the sense that the Siemens/CSA partnership is one of the most prominent cluster member engagements, but not a structural peer of a not-for-profit cluster body.
• Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult: UK catapult focused on compound semiconductor applications, co-located with CSconnected in Newport and a core cluster partner. Not a direct competitor (CSconnected co-locates with and is partnered with CSA Catapult), but highly adjacent — both are publicly funded bodies serving the same compound semiconductor ecosystem in South Wales.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmr8lkMc68R0umGA_rd592Q
• Xx.com/CSconnected
• Facebookfacebook.com/CSconnectedCluster
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csconnected

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CSconnected