TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) on Tuesday (Aug. 20) broke ground on its German fab, its first in Europe.
The ceremony was held in Dresden, the hub of “Silicon Saxony.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz thanked TSMC for choosing Germany to establish the fab and called it a significant milestone in developing Germany's semiconductor industry, per CNA.
At Tuesday's groundbreaking ceremony, TSMC CEO C.C. Wei (魏哲家), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Scholz attended the event and delivered remarks.
Scholz said semiconductors are "the fuel, the oil of the 21st century," and are crucial to driving global digitalization and the decarbonization process, per Euractiv.
He said that ensuring leadership in future key technologies is a core national strategy for an industrial powerhouse like Germany. Therefore, the German government's investment in the semiconductor industry is vital.
Scholz said Dresden is the core area of Europe's chip industry, and TSMC's establishment of a plant here will further strengthen the semiconductor production cluster in the region.
Scholz stressed, “We are dependent on semiconductors for our sustainable future technologies, but we must not be dependent on other regions of the world for the supply of semiconductors," per Fortune. He said this investment will help enhance the autonomy of Germany and Europe in semiconductor production.
Scholz reaffirmed that Germany will continue to support the development of the semiconductor industry, not only through financial subsidies but also by expanding domestic production capacity to ensure Europe's competitiveness in the global semiconductor market.
He also thanked the Saxony state government and companies involved in this project for their contributions to the future of Germany's economy.
In her speech, von der Leyen said, “The world's largest chipmaker is coming to our continent and joining forces with three European champions.” She pointed out that the plant will bring 11,000 new jobs, while TSMC will gain by having greater geographic access to Europe.
C.C. Wei said, “Together with our partners, Bosch, Infineon, and NXP, we are building our Dresden facility to meet the semiconductor needs of the rapidly growing European automotive and industrial sectors” per TSMC. He added, “With this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, we will bring TSMC’s advanced manufacturing capabilities within reach of our European customers and partners, which will stimulate economic development within the region and drive technological advancements across Europe."
The plant is scheduled to begin production in 2027.
