Semiconductor

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

TSMC in Dresden: semiconductors for the automotive industry
Taiwan's chip giant TSMC is now almost certain to build a factory in Dresden. The catch: The technology that Germany is attracting with a lot of money is outdated. continue reading →
EU reaches agreement on Chips Act
The European Parliament and the member states have resolved the remaining disputes over the Chips Act. The negotiators reached an agreement in the trilogue on Tuesday, particularly on the controversial question of funding. “By mastering the most advanced semiconductors, EU will become an industrial powerhouse in markets of the future,” Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton […] continue reading →
Christoph Roth – Saarland Mediator in the EU
In the civil service, things sometimes happen very quickly. A transfer brought Christoph Roth to Brussels. From the representation of the Saarland in Berlin to its European counterpart. Another city, another country, but the basic task remained the same: to accommodate Saarland interests. That is not always so easy for a federal state that is […] continue reading →
ZVEI: EU must set pace for Chips Act
The ZVEI fears that Europe will miss its expansion targets in the semiconductor market if the EU does not act faster and mobilize more money. It said Europe is in danger of being left behind, in part because the effects of the EU Chips Act are arriving too late. “It is a fact that Europe […] continue reading →
Wolfspeed to build billion-dollar chip factory in Saarland
Europe is taking another step forward in the location of important technologies: The US group Wolfspeed wants to build a chip factory in Saarland for the equivalent of €2.75 billion. The automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen is involved with a contribution of around €170 million. According to Wolfspeed CEO Gregg Lowe, a large part of the […] continue reading →
Chip technology: MPs to stop transfer to China
The Industry Committee in the European Parliament calls for strict provisions for the protection of intellectual property to be included in the Chips Act. That should please Washington – if the member states go along. continue reading →
EU trade delegation travels to Taiwan
For the first time, a delegation from the European Parliament’s Trade Committee visits the island of Taiwan. The seven MEPs will stay in Taipei from Monday to Wednesday, where they will meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other government members, as well as representatives of the semiconductor industry. Meetings with trade unions as well as environmental, […] continue reading →
How critical is the takeover of Elmos?
After the debate is before the debate: The next stake by a Chinese investor in Germany already sparks debates. According to reports, the government wants to approve the acquisition of a factory owned by Dortmund chip manufacturer Elmos. Since the Ukraine invasion and Cosco's entry, deals that previously would have flown under the radar are now attracting public interest. continue reading →
Tech sanctions: large holes in the net
How effective are the sanctions imposed by the EU and Western countries on the Russian Federation to force the country to leave Ukraine? Everyone involved was aware from the outset that these can never be 100% effective – but there are particularly glaring loopholes when it comes to hardware and software. continue reading →
China, USA, EU: race for the chips lead
Two-thirds of all chips currently come from East Asia. The Europeans and the Americans want to change that. Both have passed enormous subsidy programs to promote their respective semiconductor industries. In the meantime, China creeps quietly to the top. continue reading →
Bosch invests €3 billion in chip production
The Stuttgart-based technology group Bosch is expanding its chip production. The automotive supplier plans to invest another €3 billion in the division by 2026, as announced by Group CEO Stefan Hartung in Dresden on Wednesday. Bosch plans to expand capacities and build development centers both in Dresden, where a new plant costing €1 billion went […] continue reading →
Chip manufacturers invest billions in France
US chipmaker GlobalFoundries and European supplier STMicroelectronics announced plans for a joint semiconductor factory in France. On Monday, the Élysée Palace put the total investment for the new site near the border with Italy and Switzerland at €5.7 billion. The government in Paris will itself make a “significant” contribution, but did not initially name a […] continue reading →
Intel sues EU Commission for more than half a billion euros
Chip manufacturer Intel is suing the EU Commission for more than half a billion euros. The case is about compensation for a competition fine that the EU court said was wrongly imposed, according to an entry in the EU’s Official Journal published on Monday. In January, the EU court had annulled a 2009 fine of […] continue reading →
EU court annuls billion euro fine against chipmaker
The Court of Justice of the European Union has annulled a competition fine of almost €1 billion against chip manufacturer Qualcomm. Several procedural errors were found, the court announced on Wednesday. In addition, the responsible EU Commission had not taken all relevant factors into account when analyzing the case (Case T-235/18).The latter had imposed the […] continue reading →
Criticism of the Chips Act stirs
With great pomp, the EU Commission presented its proposal to promote the domestic semiconductor industry. But there is criticism among the member states: smaller countries are afraid of being left empty-handed, and governments and experts doubt the practicality of the planned crisis mechanism. continue reading →
Chip giant TSMC: no concrete plans for Europe
The world’s largest chip contract manufacturer TSMC currently does not want to invest in a factory in Germany or Europe. There are no “concrete plans,” Chairman Mark Liu said yesterday at the company’s annual general meeting in Taipei. The company is still busy assessing the situation.The Taiwanese company has been in talks behind the scenes […] continue reading →
German government spends €17 billion on chip industry
The traffic light coalition is massively increasing funding for the semiconductor industry in Germany. The Bundestag’s budget committee approved funds of €17.23 billion for microelectronics projects in the clean-up session at the end of last week, as a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change (BMWK) confirmed in response to an […] continue reading →
Chip IPCEI: waiting for the federal government
The subsidy program for the semiconductor industry is still not ready for takeoff. The reason: The German government is not making it clear how much funding is available as state aid. Resentment in the industry is growing. Companies fear that several billion could flow to the US company Intel instead. continue reading →