Germany as a semiconductor location? Companies advertise in Taiwan

Germany and Saxony are vying for closer cooperation with the island state and its high-tech sector at Taiwan's Semicon trade fair. The trade fair is the "perfect stage" to present Saxony as Europe's leading semiconductor location, said Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs Dirk Panter, who came to Taipei with a delegation. "It's all about cooperation. We want to attract companies to Germany and support German companies here," he told the German Press Agency.

In the German pavilion at Semicon, 18 companies are showcasing products from the fields of manufacturing, packaging, sustainability and precision sensor technology. The Free State of Bavaria in particular has been expanding its cooperation with Taiwan's high-tech industry for several years.

The so-called Silicon Saxony is Europe's largest microelectronics location, according to Sachsen Wirtschaftsförderung. In 2023, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Bosch, Infineon and NXP founded the joint venture ESMC to build a semiconductor factory. Chips for the automotive industry are to be manufactured there in 2027.

Saxony builds on reliability

Dresden offers stability, reliability and good opportunities for international partners, said Panter. German industry sees Taiwan as a key global player, said the head of Saxony's economic development agency, Thomas Horn. In addition, talks in Taipei, including with TSMC, had further strengthened the partnership, said the head of Silicon Saxony, Frank Bösenberg.

The exchange at the German pavilion is intended to deepen cooperation in the fields of semiconductors and artificial intelligence, said Eva Langerbeck, Managing Director of the German Chamber of Commerce in Taipei.
The company Topco Scientific Co., a supplier to TSMC, is planning to set up in Saxony. Managing Director Charles Lee said the company will open its first European branch in Dresden in mid-2026 to support ESMC and other customers. Germany provided strong support during the evaluation process, he told dpa.