TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese semiconductor company GlobalWafers formally opened a 300 mm wafer fab production facility in Italy on Wednesday.

Construction on the NT$15.3 billion (US$500) million fab began in 2022 in Novara, Lombardy. It was the result of close cooperation between Taiwan’s GlobalWafers, local subsidiary MEMC electronics, the EU, and the Italian government. The new facility will support the long-term growth of critical technology industries in Europe, according to a press release.

The opening ceremony was attended by GlobalWafers CEO Doris Hsu (徐秀蘭), Italy’s Minister of Business Adolfo Urso, and Member of the European Parliament, Isabella Tovaglieri. Other attendees included Taiwan’s envoy to Italy Y.C. Tsai (蔡允中), the chair of MEMC Marco Sciamann, and Lombardy Council Member Ivan Rota, reported RTI.

During the event, Hsu said that GlobalWafers’ success in Europe has resulted in a pool of technical expertise and production capacity that will be a crucial driver for the development of cutting-edge technologies for years to come. The FAB300 facility represents innovation, sustainability, and shared growth, she said.

Local council member Ivan Rota said it is regrettable that Taiwan is not able to join international organizations, especially given its outsized global economic impact, reported RTI. He said the Lombardy Council will put forward a motion to promote greater recognition of Taipei.

Taiwan’s representative in Italy Y.C. Tsai said that Taiwan has a great deal of confidence in Italy. The new GlobalWafers fab facility is just the beginning of the next chapter in bilateral relations between the two countries, Tsai added.

GlobalWafers, headquartered in Hsinchu, holds a significant share of the wafer production capacity in Europe thanks to its 8-inch wafer fab facility, also in Lombardy. The FAB300 is expected to further consolidate GlobalWafers’ position in the semiconductor supply chain for Europe.