TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) said Tuesday (June 6) it was concerned about shortages of talent and labor issues affecting its plans for a fab in Germany while talks were still continuing about subsidies.
The presence of a large car industry and its demand for computer chips were reportedly the key elements in TSMC’s alleged interest in building a fab near Dresden in the eastern part of Germany. The size of subsidies from the European Union and from the German authorities reportedly also played a part in the company’s decision-making.
Speaking at an investors' meeting in Hsinchu Tuesday, TSMC Chair Mark Liu (劉德音) said the company had sent a delegation to Germany “two or three times.” The issue that caused him the most concern was the availability of talent and labor issues in general, per CNA.
The German government had promised to help TSMC resolve the problem by sending exchange students to Taiwan, according to Liu. He said that talks were still continuing, and that he hoped Germany would not add extra conditions to the subsidies.
As to production in the United States, TSMC said it had informed the government there in May of its surprise at some of the conditions attached to potential subsidies. The aim of the company’s investments in the U.S. was to increase the trust of its local customers involved in national security and AI, Liu said.
TSMC's CEO C.C. Wei (魏哲家) told investors that despite the company’s international expansion plans, production of the 3nm and 2nm chips would be concentrated in Taiwan. TSMC was researching the even more advanced 1.4nm semiconductors at present, but in the future their manufacture would also be located in Taiwan, according to Wei.