TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The German Trade Office Taipei has led a delegation of Taiwanese businesses to Saxony to allow them to better understand the opportunities available in the state’s microelectronics industry.

The visit was organized in partnership with Saxony Trade & Invest Corp. around Silicon Saxony Day, a “high-tech networking event” hosted in Saxony’s state capital of Dresden on Thursday (July 11), which saw Taiwanese businesses establish new contacts with local firms.

The Taiwan delegation to Silicon Saxony Day visited companies, where they had the opportunity to get in contact with Globalfoundries, Bosch, X-Fab and others, and were provided practical insights into the Saxon microelectronics industry. They also received briefings from leading research institutions including the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) and the Helmholtz Center in Dresden.

Dubbed "Silicon Saxony," the state is the largest microelectronics cluster in Europe and the fifth largest in the world, producing every third chip made in Europe, according to the Saxony Trade & Invest. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Infineon, Bosch, and NXP Semiconductors established a joint venture in the state in August 2023. 

“With this decision Saxony is becoming a global semiconductor location in Europe, in addition to Asia and North America," Thomas Horn, CEO of Saxony Trade & Invest said. 

“The investment constitutes a quantum leap for us as a business and research center, and it is also strategically important for Germany and Europe in their quest to become more independent,” Horn said. “At the same time, this is an opportunity to rewrite the roadmap of the industry, focusing more strongly on the know-how and the potential available in Central and Eastern Europe.”

According to Saxony Trade & Invest, around 3,600 businesses with 76,000 total employees are working in research, product development, and fully automated production facilities in Saxony’s microelectronics industry.

Dr. Eva Langerbeck, Chief Representative and Executive Director of the German Trade Office Taipei, said that TSMC's plans in Saxony are driving the European semiconductor industry into the next phase, and the development of the industry will rely heavily on the integration of the surrounding supply chain.

“Therefore, the German Trade Office Taipei organized a Silicon Saxony Day delegation, leading several Taiwanese companies on a field study,” Langerbeck said. She said the Taiwan business delegation’s tours provided them with information companies, regulations, taxes, talent recruitment, and product certification

“This helped Taiwanese companies gain a clearer understanding of investing in Saxony and the advantages it offers,” Langerbeck said. In additon, it was the first trip to Germany’s eastern states for many in the Taiwan delegation, who said they were attracted by the region’s history and cultural diversity.  

Meanwhile, representatives of Saxony are planning their own country visit to Taiwan for SEMICON Taiwan in September. The trade fair is Taiwan’s largest microelectronics industry event, and in 2024 will highlight AI, heterogeneous integration, compound semiconductors, silicon photonics, and smart mobility.

Saxony Trade & Invest said the trade fair will give the nine Saxon companies who are set to attend the event the opportunity to present their products, services and solutions, and to establish contacts, with the ultimate goal of gaining new customers.