The first plant of the Taiwanese semiconductor company TSMC in Europe is taking shape. With the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), an important project of the European Chip Act will also be launched. To this end, TSMC is entering into a joint venture with Bosch, Infineon and NXP Semiconductor, which are already active in Dresden. TSMC is to hold 70 percent of the joint venture, with the other partners each holding ten percent. It will be called the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC). Production is scheduled to begin in 2027. The focus will be on chips for the automotive industry. The investment sum is ten billion euros, half of which is to come from the state. A total of 2,000 new jobs are to be created.
New chip plant aims to make careful use of natural resources
"TSMC has done a great deal in recent decades to make very efficient use of natural resources due to Taiwan's island location and the importance of microelectronics. Microelectronics is energy-intensive and water-intensive. TSMC is doing very well in global competition in both areas. We use natural resources very carefully," said Koitzsch. The plant in Dresden could also benefit from these standards. It will be operated with green energy, similar to what is already being done at the plants in the US state of Arizona and in Japan.
According to Koitzsch, the entire microelectronics value chain needs to be strengthened. "Europe needs to catch up, not only in terms of production, but also in the upstream stages of the value chain." This is not limited to Saxony and Germany, but is a European task. "I have no doubt that our neighboring countries Poland and the Czech Republic will also benefit from this." During a recent visit to Saxony, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala expressed the hope that his country would also be able to make a contribution. It is not a question of sending workers to Dresden as commuters, but of integrating Czech companies into supply chains, for example.
