Major microelectronics centre for Bromont unveiled

The Quebec and federal governments are contributing $95 million and $83 million respectively towards a new microelectronics innovation centre in Bromont QC dedicated to the development of cutting-edge microchip packaging technologies. The project is being undertaken in collaboration with IBM Canada and DALSA Corp through their subsidiaries, IBM Bromont and DALSA Semiconductors Inc. The companies and other industrial partners are contributing $40.6 million to the centre, which has a total budget of $218.5 million. The federal and provincial funding will go to the Univ of Sherbrooke, which has responsibility for constructing the centre. Federal funding is being provided through the Knowledge Infrastructure Fund, while Quebec funding is through the Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export. The project will bring together more than 250 industry and university researchers and support Quebec's microelectronics sector which employs more than 3,000. The aim is to transform the microelectronics industry into a dominant provincial technology cluster similar in significance to aerospace, pharmaceuticals and computer technologies. The centre's focus will be on assembling electronic microchips and microelectromechanical systems….