Taiwan, with its mature IC design ecosystem, is looking to collaborate closely with Europe by training IC design talent locally, according to Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).
NSTC minister Wu Tsung-tsong said it may take a foundry at least US$20 billion to build an overseas fab. Investment in the IC design sector is lower, and all it needs is to recruit the right people and give them proper training, he said.
Wu said Taiwanese companies should set up bases in other countries, particularly in Europe. Taiwan's IC design sector must attract international talent and investment, he said. Expansion in the IC design sector in Europe will drive up demand, and provide opportunities for foundries and their ecosystems to set up plants locally, Wu said.
In November 2022, Wu visited Germany and France in a bid to deepen understanding and collaboration between the countries.
German and French officials noted that Europe has a strong automobile industry and it should strengthen its tech exchange with Taiwan. Apart from automotive chips, agricultural and medical chips are other possible areas of collaboration.
As for some European countries' attempt to have TSMC set up fabs there, Wu said he told their officials that Taiwan is a democracy and cannot dictate the business decisions of a private company. He said if Germany or France wants TSMC to construct fabs locally, they have to first improve their ecosystems and ready their own semiconductor talent.
NSTC is making plans to help industries meet challenges in the next 10 to 20 years. It may help Taiwanese IC design houses recruit more talent from Europe and enlist the resources of Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI) for training local IC design talent.
Article translated by Rodney Chan
