Singapore opens first nano-scale measurement facility
By Ng Baoying, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 03 December 2007 1933 hrs

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SINGAPORE: Singapore has opened Southeast Asia's first nano-scale measurement facility which can measure tiny units of up to one nanometre.

A nanometre is one-billionth of a metre or 1/80000 of the diameter of a strand of human hair.

This will come as a boost to local companies which require highly precise measurements. It is also a key step towards making Singapore a centre for nanotech-related standards and metrology.

In time to come, nanotechnology is expected to permeate almost every aspect of our lives such as healthcare, food, energy and even recreation.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran said: "With nanotechnology, we can develop lighter and stronger materials for automobiles and aircrafts or new sustainable energy sources to address our energy needs.

"It may even create new industry segments that are previously unimaginable and bridge the gap between traditionally separate clusters."

The global nanotechnology industry is projected to be worth about US$1 trillion by 2010.

Here in Singapore, it has been expanding at about 8 to 21 percent, depending on application and products, with the number of firms quadrupling over the past three years.

Having a facility in Singapore means that local firms will no longer have to send their products overseas for calibration. This will, in turn, cut down on time and costs, and boost competitiveness.

The facility, built at a cost of S$10 million, is expected to benefit industries such as semiconductor, microelectronics and precision engineering.

Professor Freddy Boey, Chair of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, said: "The translation from research to industry right now is evolving. It's not there yet, but it's exciting.

"EDB and SPRING Singapore has come up with a lot of incentives, and I think it's a matter of time before this kicks off, probably in a very large scale.

"We are very ambitious. Nanotechnology will be as huge a pillar as the semiconductor industry for the simple reason that nanotech is enabling... it goes into energy, biomedicals and chemicals."

The Singapore government spends about S$20 million annually on nanotechnology-related R&D and manpower development.


- CNA/so