Panama Launches National Push on AI, Semiconductors and Microelectronics
PANAMA CITY, July 31, 2026 – Panama formally presented a national agenda focused on advanced technology, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and microelectronics, positioning the initiative as a long-term economic and workforce strategy.
TVN Noticias reported that President Jose Raul Mulino described the effort as part of building public policies that set priorities and create predictability. Senacyt director Eduardo Ortega said the country is moving ahead with two core strategies: one centered on artificial intelligence and another on microelectronics and semiconductors.
The government will allocate $105 million to execute the semiconductor and microelectronics strategy, according to the TVN report. Part of that money is expected to strengthen the Advanced Semiconductor Technologies Center at the Universidad Tecnologica de Panama.
The workforce dimension is central to the plan. Ortega said one company had raised the possibility of hiring between 1,000 and 1,500 engineers, a sign of the employment scale officials want to attract.
Panama also plans to offer 10,000 scholarships in technology-related areas through an alliance involving the Inter-American Development Bank and the Universidad Tecnologica de Panama. The scholarships are intended to address the gap between investment goals and available specialized talent.
The strategy is ambitious because Panama is trying to compete in a global race for high-value technology activity while also building the local skills needed to make that investment useful beyond headline announcements.
Why it matters
AI and semiconductor policy could influence Panama workforce planning, higher education, foreign investment and technology-sector employment.
What happens next
The next test will be implementation: funding execution, scholarship placement, private-sector commitments and measurable progress at the UTP technology center.
