Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) broke ground in eastern Germany on its first European plant as the continent seeks to safeguard its chip supplies amid growing US-China tensions.
“We are dependent on semiconductors for our sustainable future technologies, but we must not be dependent on other regions of the world for the supply of semiconductors,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who attended a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the start of construction of the 10 billion euros ($11 billion) manufacturing plant in the city of Dresden. About half of the funding will be covered by state subsidies.
Germany is leading the European Union push to produce one-fifth of the world's semiconductors by 2030, with the bloc seeking to build up capacity following Covid-era disruptions and as US-China ties deteriorate.
The US, Japan and others are also showering subsidies on the chip industry to localize production of the components that control everything from cutting-edge artificial intelligence to daily gadgets.
TSMC is the world's biggest contract chipmaker, with Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp relying on it for their most important products. It will anchor the Dresden project with a 70% stake in the plant, which will produce chips for the automotive and industrial sectors.
TSMC CEO C.C. Wei attended the event together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the heads of Infineon Technologies AG, NXP Semiconductors NV and Robert Bosch GmbH, which each hold a 10% stake in the venture.
Scholz has emerged as Europe's biggest backer of the semiconductor industry as he seeks to promote Germany's tech sector and secure supplies of critical components for the country's manufacturing businesses.
His government plans to spend 20 billion euros to bolster domestic chip production. That includes the TSMC plant and 10 billion euros in aid for a planned Intel Corp plant in Magdeburg.
The EU approved Germany's 5 billion euros subsidy for the Dresden microchip manufacturing plant, von der Leyen said at the event.
The new site will help Europe reduce its reliance on Asia for importing vital technology and comes after German carmakers expressed interest in boosting domestic chip production. Production is slated to begin by the end of 2027.
