The UK is a global leader in designing semiconductors for the telco sector because of its strengths in high-frequency electronics research, but the country will struggle to scale its expertise given post-Brexit barriers and a lack of investment in the sector, according to the industry body UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN). The UK’s expertise in this area comes from a strong foundation in materials science in its academic institutions and telco firms, which gives it the edge in semiconductors, since the field requires advancements from silicon (the most commonly used material) to wide band gap materials like gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC). These materials permit devices to operate at much higher voltages, frequencies, and temperatures than conventional semiconductor…