Canada’s Semiconductor Symposium 2026

Agenda

Monday, October 19

Opening Reception

6:30

Opening Reception

Join us for an intimate kick-off to two intense days at our opening reception. Connect with fellow attendees, guest speakers, panelists and partners in a relaxed setting. This will be a great opportunity to network, exchange ideas and initiate new relationships.

7:00

Keynote

Sir Terence Matthews OC OBE FREng FIET

Founder and Chairman
Wesley Clover International

Day One: Tuesday, October 20

Sovereignty

The Symposium opens with a series of discussions exploring what a stronger, more self-sufficient – more resilient – Canada looks like. We’ll explore existing and emerging opportunities; the importance of a coherent national strategy and how other nations have transformed their economies with strategic investments in the sector.

9:00

Welcome

9:30

Opening Keynote: What does a more resilient Canada look like

Building a resilient, prosperous economy depends on high-productivity industries capable of operating efficiently and competing globally

10:30

Morning Break

11:00

Semiconductors: Critical infrastructure at the heart of industry

Semiconductor technology is pervasive across all the industries this country relies upon for its economic health. — and what they enable.

Romano Hoofman

MODERATOR

Strategic Development Director
Imec

12:00

Luncheon Keynote — The Semiconductor Sector: A fulcrum for economic reinvention

Economic reinvention is not only possible, it can catalyze prosperity. A senior representative from the Kingdom of the Netherlands — a jurisdiction with a strong semiconductor sector will describe the tremendous economic cascade generated by a vigorous semiconductor sector. And its economic / competitive impact on other domestic industries.

In 2026, the Netherlands is a high-labour cost nation with a strong advanced manufacturing sector.
Known as The “Silicon Valley” of Europe, The Netherlands’ Amsterdam-Delta region’s ecosystem value has risen from $12B in 2015 to over $86B, with a 53% average annual growth rate.

1:15

Global Supply Chains and common cross-industry opportunities

What are the critical weaknesses in the semiconductor supply chain — and where do we have the expertise and significant domestic industrial demand — to make a play? Canada can’t do everything – but are there adjacencies in various end-use industries that suggest common needs / obvious areas to explore?

2:15

Canada’s Semiconductor Council

Paul Slaby

Managing Director
Canada’s Semiconductor Council

2:35

Afternoon Break

3:00

The Foundation Layer: How Canada's semiconductor skills gap shapes every sector that matters

Semiconductors are foundational technologies that fuel economic performance across industry. From advanced manufacturing to AI, mining, medtech, automotive, defence, ocean/marine: the skills gap in integrated circuit (IC) design is not a niche problem; it’s the upstream constraint that limits Canada’s ability to effectively compete in those sectors. If we are unable to design and build chips domestically, everything built on top of them is dependent on someone else’s infrastructure.

The bottleneck isn’t candidates — it’s the time it takes to make a new hire independently productive. Companies report two to three years, gated entirely by senior engineer availability, not candidate quality. There is no structured, industry-calibrated pathway from graduation to job-ready in Canada. And because semiconductor capability underpins AI hardware, clean energy systems, quantum infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing, this gap compounds across every sector FABrIC is invested in.

Yassine Hariri

MODERATOR

Manager – IoT & Edge AI
Lead – FABrIC Semiconductor Upskilling Program
CMC Microsystems

4:00

IoT: The Products inside the Products

A selection of Made-in-Canada FABrIC-funded IoT projects embedding advanced functionality into everything from consumer products to industrial equipment. Like the famous “Intel inside” campaign, they are the hidden products inside the products.

INTRODUCTION

Douglas Morrison

President & CEO
CEMI

MODERATOR

Richard Dunda

Senior Advisor, IoT Products
CMC Microsystems

Day Two: Wednesday, October 21

Prosperity

Day Two focuses on the intersection between the semiconductor sector and the most important drivers of Canada’s economy. Featuring industry leaders from aerospace & defence, automotive, mining, medtech, advanced manufacturing and oceans, we’ll explore the innovation issues they face and where semiconductor technology has a role. The Symposium explores how Canada’s semiconductor expertise can contribute to the ability of these critical domestic industries to innovate and compete.

9:00