// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
We're growing jobs based on AI, not destroying them, says tech boss
Newport has a long history of semiconductor production, which is booming due to the hardware requirements of artificial intelligence
"I think there's a huge fear of AI taking away jobs. It's quite the opposite here," said Jutta Meier, who leads one of Wales' most successful semiconductor companies.
In a vast metal building on the edge of the M4, scientists and engineers at IQE wear futuristic overalls as they create the chips that fuel the revolution in artificial intelligence (AI).
"We are growing great jobs based on AI and supporting AI, quite the opposite from destroying jobs by AI," Meier said.
The UK's AI minister Kanishka Narayan said Wales had to "reindustrialise itself" for an AI future, while also "supporting everyone who is affected" by changing technology.
Jutta Meier has led IQE as its chips became a crucial component of the physical architecture of data centres
Newport has established a cluster of semiconductor companies, with IQE in production since 1988 and the wider cluster is growing.
An independent report for CSconnected, produced by Cardiff University's Welsh Economy Research Unit, found the south Wales compound semiconductor sector supported 3,140 jobs across Wales in 2025, up from 2,748 a year earlier, external, a 14% increase.
Of those, 1,914 were direct jobs in the industry, concentrated around Newport and the wider M4 corridor.
The report said average salaries in the sector were about £66,000.