Enabling A Semiconductor Ecosystem In Oman

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Oman hosted the Semiconductor Ecosystem Enablement & Investment Forum during the week of Super Bowl LX. I managed to get back barely in time to watch the event, on Sunday, tired and jet-lagged. Was I glad I went to Oman for the Forum – absolutely! 2 Super Bowls in one week!

The event brought together investment, semiconductor executives, and Omani dignitaries and academics, to discuss a strategic focus of the Omani government – nurturing a semiconductor ecosystem and commercial presence in semiconductors. ~250 people attended the event. It is part of the initiative to accelerate the growth of the semiconductor ecosystem in Oman, and diversify the economy.

The event was hosted and organized by GSME (Figure 1), in partnership with Maverick Silicon, Lumotive, and the ITHCA Group, and sponsored by Movandi, Lumotive, and the ITHCA Group. The goal was to bring together global semiconductor executives, investors, policymakers, and technology leaders to accelerate the development of a competitive semiconductor ecosystem in Oman, and the wider GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

The day long agenda featured keynote lectures and panel discussions around ecosystem enablement including investments, technology strategy and workforce development. Specifically:

• Investment in Semiconductor Ecosystem Enablement: explored the role of cross‑border collaboration (investments and partnerships) in building resilient semiconductor ecosystems.
• National Efforts in Enabling the Semiconductor Ecosystem in Oman: showcased Oman’s policy initiatives, infrastructure development, and long‑term national strategy to attract semiconductor design, manufacturing, and advanced electronics capabilities.
• Semiconductor Market Trends: provided insights into global demand cycles, technology shifts, and competitive dynamics shaping the future of the semiconductor industry.
• TSMC Technology Enablement and Strategic Offerings for the GCC: Examined how leading‑edge foundry technologies can support regional innovation, industrial diversification, and advanced manufacturing. TSMC was one of the panel participants.
• Powering the GCC’s Semiconductor Future: discussed building a vertically integrated semiconductor value chain across the GCC, from design and manufacturing to packaging.
• Building a World‑Class Semiconductor Workforce in the GCC: presented strategies for preparing future‑ready talent through industrial partnerships, academic collaboration, and hands‑on training programs. GSME, Movandi and Lumotive have already started/committed to start satellite offices in Oman.

Key takeaways

1. Current day data centers consume 10X power and cooling resources relative to a decade ago, and is growing. 100GW today increasing to 220 GW by 2030. This is driven by the growth in AI. Semiconductors of the future need to be more power efficient.
2. Semiconductors are a strong enabler in the global economy: – $780B revenues in 2025 growing to $1.3T by 2030.
3. Oman can participate strongly in this growth. Factors driving this:

1) Global talent to mentor/nurture local talent in areas like STEM, supply chain, operations, customer engineering, business development

2) Motivate dedicated international semiconductor companies whose interests align with Oman’s roadmap for semiconductor ecosystem development to set up local operations

3) Access to capital with milestone-based staged funding

4) Dynamic understanding of market and execution risks to determine robust portfolio of investments over time

GSME – Your Trusted Semiconductor Solutions Partner

Based in California, GSME (Global Semiconductor and Micro Electronics) provides products and services for the design, engineering, and manufacturing of custom microelectronic solutions, on dedicated and MPW (Multi-Project Wafers). Apart from this, it also operates an Advanced Technology Incubation service that works closely with startups, entrepreneurs, and researchers to help them develop and commercialize new technologies. Products include Power Management ICs and RF Frontend modules, specifically designed for 5G and 6G networks (Figure 2):

Founded in 2021, GSME has 4 global locations today – the U.S., Oman, Taiwan and Vietnam, and a workforce of ~ 230 people (~25% in Oman). It has executed > 1000 IC tape-outs for customer to date, and recently raised $35M from Maverick Capital in the United States. This builds on a prior investment of $8M by the ITHCA Group, and earlier investments of $18M from multiple investors.

The company started its operating location in Muscat (GSME Oman) in 2021, with a goal of accelerating Oman’s foray into semiconductors. Today, it comprises a state-of-the-art 2,200 ft² lab which has an IC design center and a lab equipped with advanced equipment needed to test & verify semiconductor ICs. It has trained over 100 Omani engineers in this location to date. GSME was the first international company to initiate semiconductor design in Oman. In 2023, the Oman 1 and Oman 2 chips were designed and fabricated on a TSMC 65 nm process.

GSME Oman’s goal is to become a full stack supplier (design, test and packaging) from chip to system for power management and RF ICs, and power controllers.

Lumotive – Meta-Materials Based Programmable Optics

Lumotive, based in Seattle, Washington, is a semiconductor company that develops metamaterials based optical beam scanning (Figure 2). Conventional methods of doing this involve moving optics and MEMs (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) which suffer from reliability, cost, performance, speed and power issues. Solid state beam scanning provides a chip scale solution that alleviates these issues. Since no moving parts are involved, the performance can be software controlled to enable illumination at specific points of interest, and control performance envelopes. Lumotive’s patented Light Control Metasurface (LCM) chips transform optics into a digital platform, unlocking breakthroughs in sensing, optical switching, and communication. The technology is protected by ~160 patents and significant trade-secrets. Key markets include:

1. LiDAR Sensing: In deployment, for smart cities, warehouse robotics, mapping, and other physical AI applications like industrial robotics
2. Data Center Communications: In product development
3. Defense: Multiple NRE projects

The company recently raised a Series B investment round, one of the investors being Oman-based ITHCA Group, which is chartered with accelerating Oman’s semiconductor ecosystem. To date, it has raised more than $100M in investments (the Gates Foundation was one of the earlier investors).

Lumotive has a track record of collaborations in the GCC, partnering with E-Photonics, a company based in Saudi Arabia, to design and build LiDAR systems for smart infrastructure and parking applications in the Middle East. It has also partnered with Hokoyu (Japan) and Namuga (South Korea) to design its chips into their industrial and consumer LiDAR imaging products.

The company was a sponsor of the recent Oman forum, and is establishing a Center of Excellence there, headed by a senior executive, Dr. Apurva Jain, who earlier led the location in Vancouver, Canada. The plan is to staff ~20 engineers over the next 12 months. The Center will focus on customer engineering, electronics and systems design, and packaging to help global customers design in the optical scanning chips for different applications in sensing and communications.

According to Dr. Sam Heideri, CEO of Lumotive, Oman is attractive because of the ease of doing business and availability of excellent technical talent. The central location makes it easier to serve European, GCC and Asian customers. “Our Center of Excellence in Oman underscores Lumotive’s commitment to building world-class semiconductor and system design capabilities for a global market. We are proud to establish Muscat as one of Lumotive’s key global design centers, enabling customer engineering and advancing innovation in programmable optical semiconductors”.

Movandi – Powering Next-Generation Intelligent Networks

Founded in 2016, and based in California, Movandi is led by former executives from Broadcom’s Wireless Division. CEO and co-founder, Maryam Rofougaran, is an entrepreneur whose prior wireless start-up, Innovent Systems, developed the industry’s first power-efficient Bluetooth & Wi-Fi connectivity integrated chips with low cost, TSMC fabricated bulk CMOS. It caused a disruption in the wireless semiconductor industry and drove the widespread adoption of integrated connectivity SOCs. Innovent was acquired by Broadcom in 2000.

Movandi specializes in RF systems that enable 5G wireless, satellite communications, and Wi-Fi-based fixed wireless access. It does this with proprietary semiconductors, software, and system solutions that support scalable, low-latency infrastructure across terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. It is a product and services company. Products include front-end RFICs, integrated antennae modules (Figure 3), processing algorithms and systems. Services include smart repeater reference designs based on these products, for wireless operators, who then customize and scale in volume with ODMs (Original Design Manufacturers). The reference designs solve 5G mmWave deployment challenges with the industry’s best performance and economics, and work in mmWave frequencies owned by Verizon, AT&T and other global operators.

The company recently raised $40M to expand beyond 5G into satcom and fixed wireless markets. The round was led by ITHCA Group of Oman ($20M), with the remainder coming from existing and other new investors. As part of this investment, “Movandi will open a new Oman office to access the regional talent and expertise, and cultivate an environment of technology co-development, regional deployments, and talent partnerships with local universities and research institutions”. Ms. Rofougaran explained that Movandi works with multiple customers in the Middle East, which requires local presence. The choice of Oman was driven by a its politically neutral environment, genuine interest on the part of the government to attract foreign companies, excellent high-tech talent with a high degree of women participation, and competitive salary structure.

In the immediate time-frame, Movandi will relocate senior executives from to U.S. to work in concert with Omani universities and local hires to build up design and product capabilities in 5G, satcom and fixed wireless. Initially, the staff will support overall Movandi efforts. In the future, the goal is that the Oman location will independently design, build and ship products to global markets.

Ms. Rofougaran is “excited about the the partnership and networking opportunities it provided. Movandi’s expansion beyond 5G into new markets, like satellite communications, fixed wireless networks, and AI-driven connectivity is consistent with our expansion in Oman. We are enthusiastic about Movandi’s potential to drive this next wave of innovation and growth with support from Oman”.

Integrated Medical Sensors – Personalized Health Monitoring For All

Founded in 2015, Integrated Medical Sensors (IMS) is located in Irvine, CA and led by CEO Muhammad Mujeeb-U-Rahman, who earned a Ph.D. at Caltech prior to founding the company. IMS designs and builds wearable devices designed to help diabetes patients manage their condition more effectively. The devices are worn on the skin (eventually implanted under the skin) and continuously measure glucose levels and other biochemical signals, offering a painless and accurate diabetes monitoring solution. It does this by leveraging advances in nanotechnology, semiconductor technology, and electrochemistry.

At the core of the solution is AISense, a patented, ultra-miniaturized application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that combines multiple biochemical and physiological sensing elements with control, power, and communication electronics. Sensor data is processed on-device (edge computing), digitized, and delivered through a compact wearable patch to a smartphone, where an AI layer supports personalized analytics and decision support (Figure 1), while monitoring four health markers simultaneously.

Since its inception, IMS has secured $6M in non-dilutive grants to develop the core technology and generate initial evidence in humans. This includes an award from Breakthrough T1D, a leading global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization, as well as multiple grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States.

IMS is seeking strategic capital to:

1. Expand the engineering team globally
2. Establish a scalable manufacturing ecosystem with a global footprint
3. Pursue CE marking and FDA clearance/approval (as applicable)

Dr, Rahman attended the Ecosystem Forum because Oman is an attractive location for IMS’s expansion, offering a unique combination of geopolitical neutrality, investment appetite for deep tech, and proximity to major technology and manufacturing corridors in Europe and Asia. It offers talent stability, regional customization and a gateway to new markets, all in a stable and well-structured IP and governance framework. Oman’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States supports alignment with U.S. trade frameworks and mitigates tariff and trade-friction risk.

Discussions are ongoing, and if successful, IMS plans to contribute to Oman’s Vision 2040 plan and semiconductor ecosystem development by creating local skills in semiconductor device design, microelectronics and edge AI. Engaging in Middle East markets also provides an opportunity to collect data from different populations, contributing to the richness of AI data for training and health monitoring.

Dr. Rahman is “excited to scale IMS globally. After careful analysis and discussions with stakeholders across regions, Oman stands out as a compelling hub and partner for that journey. We believe this collaboration can deliver measurable value for IMS and Oman”.

ITHCA Group – The Revolution of Things

ITHCA, derives from an Arabic word for “Intelligent”, which symbolizes its focus on investing in intelligent technologies that power the imminent revolution in AI, robotics and semiconductors. The Oman Information and Communication Technologies Group transitioned into ITHCA in 2019, which is wholly owned and funded by the Oman Investment Authority (OIA), the investment arm of the Sultanate of Oman.

Through ITHCA, OIA’s investments support digital and semiconductor technologies, as part of the effort to build Oman’s ecosystem in semiconductor technologies. Apart from financial investments and returns, ITHCA’s goal is to nurture and grow local R&D and management talent, establish an entrepreneurial environment in the Sultanate, and drive sustainable economic development.

According to Ameer Alawi, Group Director of Investments and Business Development at ITHCA group, the decision to focus on semiconductors was driven by the conviction that it posed lower barriers to entry and creates high value. Software tools can be used to design chips and peripherals, understand applications and grow talent. Traditionally, local talent worked in the oil & gas, communications and banking industries. Diversifying into other areas like semiconductors is important to serve the Sultanate’s overall goal of economic diversification.

ITHCA’s 2023-2024 investment of $8M in GSME created a Semiconductor Center of Excellence in Oman which has already launched the “Oman-1” and “Oman-2” chips. This was achieved through a staffing mix of experienced foreign and fresh local talent. Over time and projects, this is expected to build a cadre of accomplished local talent that can compete internationally in semiconductor technology and product manufacturing. An example of the latter is United Solar Polysilicon’s manufacturing plant that broke ground in Oman in 2024, with an investment of $1.35B across an area of 160,00 m². It will produce high-quality metallurgical silicon with an annual capacity of 100,000 tons.

Mr. Alawis’s key takeaways from the recent forum are:

1. GSME was a great initial semiconductor investment. Apart from a product and services company, GSME is also an ecosystem platform enabler, with a global network of customers and suppliers. This has helped train more than 80 Omani engineers.
2. The success of GSMC’s Oman operation has attracted other companies like Lumotive and Movanti to establish a local presence.
3. This Forum provided an opportunity to network with a significant number of companies interested in setting up a location here.
4. Oman is ready for business! In semiconductors.

OIA – Promoting Growth of The National Economy

Oman Investment Authority (OIA) is the investment arm of the Sultanate of Oman. It is mandated with managing, investing, and growing the Sultanate of Oman assets locally and internationally. Its investment funds are geographically diverse, and cover a wide range of sectors, including food and fisheries, energy, logistics, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), public services, financial and investment services, tourism, mining, manufacturing, and aviation. It also plays a key role in driving sustainable economic development. As of 2024, it had investment assets of ~$60B across 50 global investments.

OIA was established in June 4, 2020, through the merger of two separate entities: the State General Reserve Fund and the Oman Investment Fund. Its charter is to:

• Manage, grow, and invest the Sultanate of Oman’s funds and assets
• Generate financial reserves.
• Contribute towards the Sultanate’s budget, achieve financial sustainability.
• Play an instrumental role in executing the government’s policies and strategies toward advancing targeted economic sectors.
• Enhance the investment environment, attract investments to the Sultanate.

OIA announced the launch of its third fund, the Oman Future Fund, in May 2023. The other two are the National Development Fund and the Future Generations Fund. The Future Fund targets the services, manufacturing, mining, clean energy, tourism, telecommunications and information technology, logistics, and food sectors.

The key points that emerged in these discussions is that apart from capital, developing and nurturing a semiconductor ecosystem requires the 5 Ps – People, Partnerships, Products, Policies and Patience. While a majority of the discussion focused around capturing the current excitement around AI and its connection to semiconductors (compute, store, transmit), there was also a fair amount of discussion around semiconductor needs for physical AI applications. For example, Lumotive, one of the sponsors, develops product solutions around its semiconductor-based optical scanning technology for LiDAR, which is a critical enabler for AoT® and physical AI. Oman, the GCC, and the world has fertile demand for physical AI in transportation, critical infrastructure monitoring, security, smart cities, mining, oil exploration and agriculture. As the ecosystem in Oman develops, supporting semiconductor development for physical AI functions like perception, localization, edge computing and robotics control will become increasingly important.