ESMC Celebrates Topping-Out Ceremony for New Microchip Factory in Dresden

Construction of the new microchip factory in northern Dresden is moving forward: A little over two years after construction began, the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) will celebrate the completion of the building’s shell with a topping-out ceremony on Monday (12:00 p.m.). Among the guests is Saxony’s Minister-President Michael Kretschmer (CDU).

2,000 jobs will be created

The factory is a joint venture between the Taiwanese industry giant TSMC and Bosch, Infineon, and NXP Semiconductor. TSMC is set to hold a 70 percent stake in the company, with the other partners each holding 10 percent. The total investment amounts to ten billion euros; the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs contributed five billion of that as a grant. The project will create 2,000 jobs. Production is scheduled to begin in 2027. The focus will be on chips for the automotive industry.

With TSMC’s arrival and production expansions at Infineon and Globalfoundries in Dresden, “Silicon Saxony” continues to grow as Europe’s largest microelectronics hub, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The network consists of approximately 3,600 companies with over 80,000 employees. The number of employees is expected to grow to around 100,000 by 2040.