UNAIR NEWS – Despite Indonesia’s potential to emerge as a major semiconductor producer, the country continues to lag behind. This concern was raised during a guest lecture hosted by the American Corner at Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), titled Semiconductors: The Mother of All 21st Century Technology. The event took place on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at the Majapahit Hall, ASEEC Tower, Dharmawangsa-B Campus.
The session featured Tahta Amrillah, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D., a lecturer in Nanotechnology Engineering at UNAIR’s Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidiscipline (FTMM). He traced the rapid advancement of electronics, from the invention of the Bell telephone to today’s highly sophisticated devices.
Amrillah explained that all electronic devices rely on the flow of electricity, enabling them to perform increasingly complex functions. What once processed only text or sound can now generate images, execute commands, and even capture motion.
How electronics advanced
According to Amrillah, the dramatic downsizing of electronics—from bulky computers to handheld smartphones—was driven by nanotechnology, which enabled large components to be reduced to microscopic scales. He noted that modern devices contain tiny transistors, which are built from metals and semiconductors.
“These transistors are composed of minute materials, particularly metals and semiconductors. Semiconductors themselves are unique in their ability to conduct electricity, and there are only two types,” he said.
Semiconductor gap
The most widely used semiconductor is silicon, produced from quartz sand. Indonesia, Amrillah stressed, has abundant reserves of this key resource. “Indonesia is rich in natural resources, including quartz sand, the primary raw material for silicon,” he explained.
Yet, he emphasized, Indonesia’s production capacity lags far behind its potential. “Many countries with little to no quartz sand are already mass-producing semiconductors. Meanwhile, Indonesia, with its vast resources, has yet to capitalize on this advantage,” he said.
Amrillah attributed the shortfall to an imbalance between natural resources and human capital. He urged UNAIR’s Nanotechnology students to take the lead in driving domestic production, noting that UNAIR remains the only university in Indonesia offering a bachelor’s program in the field.
He also lamented the lack of research and academic discussion on semiconductors in Indonesia, citing limited research infrastructure. Still, he acknowledged some progress in recent months, such as plans to establish semiconductor plants in the country.
Author: Rizma Elyza
Editor: Yulia Rohmawati
