Chip production in Europe with the help of Samsung?

The European Union would have planned the construction of a semiconductor factory to reduce dependence on US and Asian chipmakers. According to Bloomberg sources, the goal is to produce chips of 10 nanometer or less for use in various industries, from telecommunications to connected cars. Samsung and TSMC could be involved in the project, but nothing has been decided yet.

Chip production in Europe?

The rumor leaks a month after the alarm launched by several European car manufacturers, including Volkswagen. Due to the shortage of semiconductors, the number of vehicles produced has dropped dramatically. The problem will almost certainly be solved in the coming weeks, but the incident has highlighted Europe's dependence on foreign supplies.

It is currently unclear whether an existing factory will be modernized or a new factory will be built, as the project is still under discussion and a precise roadmap has not been established. The main manufacturer in Europe is GlobalFoundries with the two factories in Dresden in Germany, but its chips are based on old process technologies (mainly 28 nanometers). To compete against the current market leaders, at least 10 nanometer chips must be produced.

Samsung has not released official statements, while TSMC has commented on the indiscretion stating that the choice of the location in which to build a factory depends on many factors, but at the moment there are no concrete plans. The goal of the European Union would be to produce at least one fifth of the world's chips. To do this, an alliance between chipmakers, car manufacturers and telephone companies should be announced.

This alliance could have around 30 billion euros of public and private investments. The problem is finding an agreement between the various European countries in a short time (months, not years). But according to Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, without productive autonomy there will never be European digital sovereignty.

Source: Bloomberg