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From Nora Miethke
The world's largest chip contract manufacturer TSMC expects its most important domestic suppliers to follow it to Dresden. At least this is the impression gained by Thomas Kralinski (SPD), State Secretary in the Saxon Ministry of Economic Affairs. Since Monday, Kralinski, together with Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH (WFS) and the industry network "Silicon Saxony", has been recruiting Taiwanese companies as suppliers and service providers in Saxony at the Semicon Taiwan trade fair and accompanying events.
"You can already tell that TSMC has certain expectations of its suppliers to locate in Europe," Kralinski told sächsische.de shortly before his return flight on Friday. He is "very confident" that a number of suppliers will come to Saxony with subsidiaries. In contrast to other stands, the stand of the high-tech association Silicon Saxony e.V. was always densely packed. The State Secretary for Economic Affairs also sees this as a sign of how great the interest in Saxony is.
The Taiwanese semiconductor group TSMC is building a factory in Dresden, where the production of chips primarily for the automotive industry is set to start in 2027. The industry giant's first plant in Europe is set to create 2,000 jobs. TSMC and the companies Bosch, Infineon and NXP Semiconductor, which are already based in Dresden, are involved in the ten billion euro investment. Half of the investment is being financed by state subsidies.
Great interest in Saxony
The ground-breaking ceremony for the Dresden factory took place two weeks ago. This ceremony, which was also attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, was a final sign that no more persuasion was needed. The Free State had been working on the green light for the settlement for over two years. "At the same time, the ground-breaking ceremony was a starting point for more. That's exactly what it felt like at Semicon Taiwan," says Kralinski.
The supplier companies are very interested. However, many would also look at other locations. Kralinski confirmed that Saxony is also in direct competition with its neighboring country, the Czech Republic. "The Czech Republic is very active. That is why it is so important for us to be present here at Semicon Taiwan," he said. Now it is time to do the homework. This includes accelerating the expansion of renewable energies and the development of a hydrogen economy, as well as finding new forms of cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI).
Interest in state elections only "sporadic"
When asked whether Saxony could offer sufficient commercial space, Kralinski said: "I am sure that we will find enough space." Not all suppliers would have to be located in the immediate vicinity of the ESMC factory. The State Secretary also met with representatives of the regional government of Kumamoto in Japan on the fringes of the trade fair to discuss their experiences with a TSMC relocation. The Taiwanese semiconductor company opened a plant in Kumamoto Prefecture last February.
The results of the state elections in Saxony only played a "selective" role in the discussions. According to Kralinski, he gave many interviews and the Chamber of Foreign Trade also made enquiries, but otherwise interest in the ecosystem in Silicon Saxony predominated.
