When building a European infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI), the Silicon Saxony microchip network is calling for a focus on European products. "Europe needs more than just AI. It also needs control over its own technology," says a statement from the network.
In April, the EU Commission presented an action plan with the aim of becoming a global leader in AI. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had previously announced an initiative to mobilize investments amounting to 200 billion euros. The "AI Continent Action Plan" is attracting increasing interest, says Silicon Saxony Managing Director Frank Bösenberg. The investments should not bypass the European semiconductor and technology location.
Dependence as a competitive risk
The dependence on non-European manufacturers is increasingly becoming a competitive risk, warned Bösenberg. "It cannot be that Europe pays and the world supplies." Together with the Saxon state government, Silicon Saxony therefore wants to pursue the goal of thinking about the entire European value chain from the outset. The aim is to strengthen industrial expertise not only in Saxony, but as a whole.
"Anyone planning AI gigafactories in Europe should also consistently focus on chip components that are already being produced in the European single market today." With average investment sums of three to four billion euros per location, this is not a marginal technical issue, but a core task of industrial policy.
Copyright 2025, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
