European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday hailed the development of a brand new manufacturing unit by Germany’s Infineon a milestone in mass chip manufacturing as Europe tries to seize a bigger slice of the strategic business.
Talking on the groundbreaking ceremony of Infineon’s manufacturing unit within the German metropolis of Dresden, von der Leyen stated it was a step in Europe’s objective of doubling its share of world chip manufacturing to twenty% by 2030 by quadrupling its present capability.
However she warned that Europe was nonetheless too dependent for uncooked supplies on particular person suppliers, citing specifically that China has a 76% share of manufacturing the silicon metals wanted in chip manufacturing.
The European Union desires to meet up with Asia and the US and scale back its reliance on Asia at a time of heightened tensions between Taipei and Beijing.
The bloc final month agreed a 43-billion-euro ($47 billion) chip subsidies plan in a bid to safe provides of essential elements after COVID-19 lockdowns prompted shortages that damage output of all the things from telephones to vehicles and fridges.
“We’re all experiencing how drastically geopolitical dangers have grown. That is why it’s vital that we in Europe strengthen the provision chains of our most necessary items and applied sciences,” von der Leyen stated in a speech.
“This additionally means broadening our place in relation to chips and having extra of our personal capability obtainable. For semiconductors, that are so important, we want extra mass manufacturing right here in Europe.”
Infineon expects manufacturing on the 5-billion-euro semiconductor plant, the biggest funding within the firm’s historical past, to begin in 2026.
Different chip producers are additionally at the moment investing in Germany. The US group Wolfspeed is constructing a plant in Saarland, investing 2.75 billion euros. Intel is constructing a big manufacturing unit in Magdeburg.
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