Factory construction in Dresden
Habeck draws hope from TSMC plans
8/8/2023, 4:18 p.m
To ensure that the planned semiconductor plant in Saxony moves quickly, the federal government is subsidizing the settlement with several billion euros. For Federal Minister of Economics Habeck, the project of the Taiwanese chip company TSMC is an important signal that Germany remains competitive.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck believes that the planned construction of a factory by the Taiwanese chip company TSMC in Dresden will make a substantial contribution to supplying Germany and Europe with semiconductor chips. This was explained by the Greens politician in Berlin in a statement. According to Habeck, the investment decision shows that Germany is an attractive and competitive location, especially for key technologies such as microelectronics. However, further efforts are needed, for example work is being done on accelerated approval processes and reducing bureaucracy.
“Robust domestic semiconductor production is of particular importance for our global competitiveness, because semiconductors keep our world running and make the transformation towards climate neutrality possible in the first place: Without them, no computer runs, no car drives, neither wind nor solar systems can produce energy” , stressed Habeck. Climate neutrality means that no more greenhouse gases are emitted than can be bound again.
“Expedited start for project enabled”
The project secures qualified jobs and added value in Germany. “At the same time, many companies along the value chain and the user industries, from large companies to medium-sized companies, benefit from an investment of this magnitude,” explained Habeck. The federal government will support the plans within the framework of the European Chips Act, which has to happen quickly because of the international competitive pressure. “Therefore, we have enabled an accelerated start for the project.” According to dpa information, the federal government supports the settlement with 5 billion euros.
The EU Commission still has to approve this state aid. Since speedy procedures for semiconductors are central to investment, the ministry has given an exemption permit so that the company can begin construction at an accelerated rate, the statement said. The European Chips Act aims to increase Europe’s share of global semiconductor production to 20 percent by 2030.
TSMC had previously announced that it wanted to build a semiconductor plant in Dresden. The investment sum is said to be around ten billion euros. The plant is to be built jointly with Bosch, Infineon and NXP.