Taiwan and the European Union are moving towards a better industrial agreement. The Taiwanese government has announced that a ” major step forward had been possible in the negotiations undertaken with the European Union on the field of semiconductors. As pointed out The Register, these negotiations could lead to the construction, on the old continent, of new factories by the Taiwanese tenors of the semiconductor. This would then be an important step taken to stabilize the supply chain in Europe, which has been strongly affected since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a press release, the Taiwanese Minister of Economy assures that his country will continue to be a ” trusted partner for Europe in the semiconductor industry.
As part of these negotiations, the person concerned notably had Sabine Weyand as an interlocutor. Director General of Trade for the European Commission, she is in charge of industrial issues with foreign powers.
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Soon a TSMC factory in Europe?
The major advance mentioned by the Taiwanese government concerns the possible establishment in Europe of certain large Taiwanese groups, such as TSMC. The world’s leading independent semiconductor foundry, this manufacturer is practically rain or shine on a market very dependent on its production capacities.
Europe wants the Taiwanese semiconductor giants to set up in its country as part of its European Chips Act, launched in February. This plan is part of an approach also adopted by the United States, which could host no less than 6 TSMC factories, one of which (currently under construction in Phoenix, Arizona) is due to open in 2024. In Europe, TSMC had previously announced that it had launched the preliminary stages of a study dedicated to the potential construction of a production site in Germany. A project that seems, at this stage, to discreetly follow its course.
Exchanges with Taiwan are also taking place when the European Union has already succeeded in convincing Intel to build a new semiconductor factory in Europe. The American giant, which last year opened its foundries to orders from external companies, announced last March that it wanted to invest 36 billion dollars in the manufacture, but also research and development, of chips on the old continent. This colossal budget notably includes the construction of a new factory in Magdeburg, south-west of Berlin.