QCOSTARICA — Silicon, that key element for the manufacture of semiconductors and chips, was the key to naming the California region that was beginning to emerge as a destination for technological investments “Silicon Valley.”
Now it could serve to rename Costa Rica as a similar equivalent in the region.
In fact, U.S. diplomatic authorities are already talking about the “Silicon Rainforest” in reference to Costa Rica.
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In a recent publication, the U.S. Embassy in San José reiterated its interest in taking advantage of Costa Rica as a partner in the supply chain.
To do so, it is resuming the approaches that already exist in terms of cooperation to ensure that companies can count on all the labor and supplies.
During the entire process of obtaining semiconductors, the United States sees special national potential in the final stage of preparation.
The main concern of the United States regarding semiconductors is the high concentration of the semiconductor industry in Asia.
Following incidents such as the pandemic, the United States has tried to promote market diversification. This is where the interest in having closer technological hubs is once again highlighted.
Costa Rica conquers the world of semiconductors
The arrival of Intel in the late 1990s put Costa Rica on the map of technology firms. With the intensification of the market, the country has sought to make a space for itself by attracting investments.
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In the competition, Costa Rica faces nearby countries such as Mexico and other distant ones, especially from Southeast Asia.
In this context, the designation made by the United States as a “partner country” also occurred. This has guaranteed economic support for staff training initiatives.
Including U.S. authorities have mentioned support to replicate with chips the success that has already been achieved with medical devices, Costa Rica’s major export market.
In March 2024, the Ministerio de Comercio Exterior (COMEX) – Ministry of Foreign Trade – presented a 84 page document titled “Hoja de Ruta Para el Fortalcecimiento del Ecosistema de Semiconductores In Costa Rica” (Road Map for Semiconductors in Costa Rica), which included proposed actions for the coming years, which would involve:
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- Training of human talent
- Incentives in free trade zones
- Attraction of investments
- Regulatory improvement
“Costa Rica has the necessary conditions to consolidate itself as a reliable and safe regional destination for this type of investment, helping to mitigate vulnerabilities in the global supply chain, which is why we bring concrete answers,” said at the time the Minister of Foreign Trade, Manuel Tovar.
The general manager of Promotora del Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica (PROCOMER) – Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter, Laura López Salazar, added, “Costa Rica’s value proposition is in line with the needs of the semiconductor industry at a global level. Today we have companies that are important players in the industry, with more than 25 years of consolidating their presence in the country. We have a robust ecosystem that includes more than 600 national suppliers and specialized human talent. These differentiating aspects are fundamental to our purpose of consolidating Costa Rica as a hub for the semiconductor industry.”
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