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TSMC: The young chipmakers are back

Dresden students spent six months learning at chip giant TSMC in Taiwan. What was it like? Will they go on to work for the Dresden plant?

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Man sieht zwei Studierende bei ESMC.
They could be the first to work at ESMC in Dresden: The two students Anurima Mallick and Jannis Kaliske. Photo: SZ/Veit Hengst

From Luisa Zenker

Jannis Kaliske has been back in Dresden from Taiwan since this week. For six months he was allowed to work for the chip giant TSMC learn. This makes the student one of the first people from Dresden to see the inside of TSMC's Fab15A site in Taichung. "The mother ship for the Dresden factory."

The company wants to build a plant with 2,000 jobs in the Saxon state capital by 2027 and is already starting to recruit skilled workers for the complex production process.

500,000 euros per year for a stay in Taiwan

The 24-year-old spent six months on the distant island with 29 other Dresden students. In the meantime, he has become a man in demand. He has given more than 20 interviews there - for Tagesschau, Deutsche Welle and Taiwan News. The program, which started in February, is unique: Saxony's Ministry of Science invests 500,000 euros per year in the study visit to Taiwan.

"The workload was high," says Anurima Mallick. The Master's student from Dresden, who comes from India, was also part of the "Semiconductor Talent Incubation Program". The nanoelectronics engineer spent four months at the Taiwanese university learning how to turn silicon into a chip. On average, this takes one to two months. They had to complete homework and presentations almost every day, with exams at the end. They also had to learn Chinese. "It's a very work-focused culture," says the 24-year-old. More so than in Germany. "I had the feeling that people never take time off." Always polite, reserved, helpful, hard-working - that's how Jannis and Anurima describe the Taiwanese.

Despite their busy studies, the two had time to discover the island: the many Confucian temples, the 3,000-metre-high mountains, the secluded beaches. They also both rave about the food. They already miss the bubble tea and xiao long bao, steamed dumplings. But in addition to studying and having fun, Taiwan also experienced its strongest earthquake since the 1990s. A dozen people lost their lives. They also experienced the tensions of the China-Taiwan conflict. "It seems much bigger in the news, people live normally there. But I got to know a family who are very concerned about their children," says Jannis.

"I had the feeling that people never take time off"

After four months at the National Taiwan University, things got serious and the Dresdeners moved from Taipei to Taichung. One of the 17 TSMC factories is located there. They simulated chip production in the training center for a month before they were allowed to put on the white protective suits to see the real production rooms. "I felt welcome, they made every effort to teach us a lot," says Jannis.

They were asked to give feedback every day. Sometimes the program was adjusted from one day to the next in order to respond to the requests, says Anurima, who was also allowed to see the secret machines that produce particularly tiny chips. . They worked at the company from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week. And they experienced how the Taiwanese stayed late or came in emergencies - without the bosses having to ask.

Jannis Kaliske was surprised at how many Taiwanese were interested in the Dresden students © private

They were also supported by mentors, some of whom are already learning German. After all, they are set to become part of the Taiwanese team that will ramp up operations in Dresden. "The company language in Dresden will initially be English," says Jannis. They are not allowed to reveal anything, as they have signed a confidentiality agreement.

However, Jannis knows one thing for sure: the shortage of skilled workers could become a problem in Saxony. He was depressed when he returned to Saxony from Asia on Wednesday and saw all the election posters. "So much hate speech" - hate speech. "The semiconductor companies need international specialists."

Student Anurima in the clean room at TSMC: she is not allowed to reveal much about her work © private

Will they later work for TSMC?

They don't know whether they will work for TSMC one day. They would have to spend one or two years in Taiwan for practical training. "It would be a big step, but I can't work it out with my family right now," says Jannis. Anurima's studies end in 2026: "Maybe I'll go to Taiwan then."

There is no obligation for the students, explains Josef Goldberger, Head of the Coordination Office of the Free State of Saxony in Taiwan. They should decide voluntarily. "Whether they later work for ESMC, Bosch or Infineon, set up a supplier or become professors, the investment in education is an economic factor for Germany."

Taiwan expertise in particular is needed in order to cooperate with the leading chip manufacturer. "You have to understand what makes TSMC's management elite tick." He praises the students, who are very eager to learn. "They asked a lot of questions in the seminars, which the Taiwanese have to get used to." After all, frontal teaching with few interruptions is common there.

TSMC is currently looking for the next students, with more than 120 applications. 60 natural scientists from nine Saxon universities will fly to Taiwan next year. 30 in winter, 30 in summer. The medium-term goal is to send up to 100 students from Saxony to Taiwan each year. But whether this will work also depends on the capacities of the training centers in Taiwan. This is because TSMC is planning a massive expansion of its production on the island. Numerous Taiwanese specialists need to be trained for this.

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