Taiwan is to set up overseas training bases under a 10-year semiconductor innovation program initiated by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) as part of its efforts to enhance cooperation with other countries on chip development, NSTC Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said on Wednesday.
Speaking with reporters after the council approved the 10-year development program earlier in the day, Wu said that Taiwan wants to play an important role in the global semiconductor industry with international cooperation expected to facilitate the manufacture of chips used in emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
Last month, the NSTC unveiled a 10-year chip program, which would be launched next year with an initial budget of NT$12 billion (US$373.7 million) in the first year, but the council did not provide financial details for all of the 10-year period. The program has a goal of making Taiwan a pivotal global IC design hub.
Photo: CNA
The program would assign entry-level IC technologies to its overseas training hubs, while training in more advanced IC processes would remain in Taiwan, Wu said.
The Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute, run by the NSTC’s National Applied Research Laboratories, has already comprehensive IC development experience in training, IC design and IC manufacturing, and would back the overseas training bases, he added.
IC manufacturing is a capital-intensive industry, so only large economies can afford to have Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, set up production bases with an investment of US$10 billion or higher, Wu said.
On the other hand, as IC design development costs less than IC manufacturing, smaller-sized economies would have an opportunity to work with Taiwan in the field, Wu said.
The future overseas training bases, where Taiwanese lecturers would be assigned, are expected to help interested foreign countries become more acquainted with Taiwan’s IC design training system and forge closer tech cooperation, Wu said.
The 10-year program aims to encourage IC companies and research institutions to apply generative AI technologies to industrial development, while transforming Taiwan into a hub with a top IC talent pool, Wu said.
Although the program would support advanced IC process development, it would also aim to attract start-ups and investment institutions to come to Taiwan for cooperation, he said.
The 10-year program’s first five-year phase would focus on creating semiconductor centers, developing talent and establishing related infrastructure at the Industrial Technology Research Institute, the NSTC said.
In the long term, the program aims to help Taiwan achieve an IC design global market share of about 40 percent by 2033, and an 80 percent global market share for advanced semiconductors of 7 nanometers or below, it said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
RSS