Europe should spice up mass manufacturing of important semiconductors because of worsening geopolitical dangers in Asian chip-making centres, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen mentioned.
She made the feedback on the ground-breaking of a five-billion-euro ($5.5 billion) chip manufacturing facility in Dresden, amongst a sequence of recent semiconductor initiatives in Germany.
The EU is racing to scale back Reliance on semiconductors produced in Asia, and ultimate month struck an settlement aiming to double the bloc’s international marketplace proportion to twenty % in 2030 and mobilize huge funding.
Von der Leyen mentioned Europe was once house to many main firms within the chip sector however had failed to regard the manufacturing of semiconductors as a concern lately.
The present international center of attention of chip production was once in Taiwan and South Korea, areas susceptible to top tensions, she added.
“Any trade disturbance would immediately harm the strong industrial base of Europe and our strong internal market,” she mentioned.
“We have seen how geopolitical tensions have increased over the past few years.”
It was once necessary for Europe to fortify provide chains, she mentioned, including: “For semiconductors, which are so important, we need more mass production here in Europe.”
Taiwan’s standing as a chip-making middle is inflicting geopolitical jitters as China an increasing number of threatens the island, a self-ruled democracy that the Chinese Communist Party claims and has vowed to at some point clutch.
South Korea, in the meantime, faces perennially top tensions with North Korea, which has performed a record-breaking string of sanctions-defying rocket launches in 2023.
The EU leader additionally mentioned the bloc was once operating to verify Europe has get entry to to important uncooked fabrics used to make client electronics, via a just lately unveiled draft legislation.
German chancellor Olaf Scholzadditionally talking on the ground-breaking, mentioned chips — that energy the whole thing from smartphones to fighter jets — had been “often referred to as the petroleum of the 21st century.
“The one uncooked subject material on which just about the whole thing else relies.”
The coronavirus pandemic has already given Europe a style of the issues brought about when semiconductor provide chains change into twisted up, with shortages hitting a spread of industries.
Infineon’s new web site in Dresden is slated to open within the autumn of 2026, and to create 1,000 jobs.
German engineering workforce BoschUS tech massive Intel and US chipmaker Wolfspeed have all just lately introduced primary semiconductor investments in Germany, Europe’s best financial system.
She made the feedback on the ground-breaking of a five-billion-euro ($5.5 billion) chip manufacturing facility in Dresden, amongst a sequence of recent semiconductor initiatives in Germany.
The EU is racing to scale back Reliance on semiconductors produced in Asia, and ultimate month struck an settlement aiming to double the bloc’s international marketplace proportion to twenty % in 2030 and mobilize huge funding.
Von der Leyen mentioned Europe was once house to many main firms within the chip sector however had failed to regard the manufacturing of semiconductors as a concern lately.
The present international center of attention of chip production was once in Taiwan and South Korea, areas susceptible to top tensions, she added.
“Any trade disturbance would immediately harm the strong industrial base of Europe and our strong internal market,” she mentioned.
“We have seen how geopolitical tensions have increased over the past few years.”
It was once necessary for Europe to fortify provide chains, she mentioned, including: “For semiconductors, which are so important, we need more mass production here in Europe.”
Taiwan’s standing as a chip-making middle is inflicting geopolitical jitters as China an increasing number of threatens the island, a self-ruled democracy that the Chinese Communist Party claims and has vowed to at some point clutch.
South Korea, in the meantime, faces perennially top tensions with North Korea, which has performed a record-breaking string of sanctions-defying rocket launches in 2023.
The EU leader additionally mentioned the bloc was once operating to verify Europe has get entry to to important uncooked fabrics used to make client electronics, via a just lately unveiled draft legislation.
German chancellor Olaf Scholzadditionally talking on the ground-breaking, mentioned chips — that energy the whole thing from smartphones to fighter jets — had been “often referred to as the petroleum of the 21st century.
“The one uncooked subject material on which just about the whole thing else relies.”
The coronavirus pandemic has already given Europe a style of the issues brought about when semiconductor provide chains change into twisted up, with shortages hitting a spread of industries.
Infineon’s new web site in Dresden is slated to open within the autumn of 2026, and to create 1,000 jobs.
German engineering workforce BoschUS tech massive Intel and US chipmaker Wolfspeed have all just lately introduced primary semiconductor investments in Germany, Europe’s best financial system.