The Advanced Chip Design Research Center (ACDRC) established under supervision of the Taiwan-Czech Republic supply chain resilience program is to unveil its plaque next month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Taiwan has launched a collaborative program to enhance the supply chain resilience and capabilities of the democratic partnership with the Czech Republic.
The program began last year and is to run until 2027, and has four major projects, the ministry said.
Photo: Taipei Times file
First, the ACDRC is to be set up in the Czech Republic to help develop chip design ability and talent, it said.
A cooperative agreement for the center has been signed by both sides, with a launching ceremony held in June and a plaque-unveiling ceremony to take place next month, the ministry added.
The ACDRC is part of the Taiwan-Czech Republic resilience program led by the ministry and is different from the Taiwan Chip-based Industrial Innovation Program headed by the National Science and Technology Council, the ministry said.
Second is the Supply Chain Resilience Center (SCRC), which was built at Charles University in Prague, it said, adding that the university and National Chengchi University have signed a cooperative agreement.
Taiwan and the Czech Republic would jointly research supply chain trade, investment and technical collaboration, publish their results via the SCRC and are to hold a seminar by the end of this year, the ministry said.
Third is the Scholarship for Mastery of Strategic Key Technologies (SMSKT), which is awarded to Czech students so they can learn about the semiconductor industry, it said.
The SMSKT has been ongoing for two years and has funded 56 Czech students who took short-term training and degree courses in Taiwan, with the goal of boosting critical technology areas for the Czech semiconductor sector and nurturing local talent for Taiwanese companies investing in the Czech Republic, the ministry said.
Last is the Business Opportunities Enhancement Program (BOEP), which has enabled the establishment of the Czech Centre Taipei to promote bilateral trade and cultural exchanges, it said.
The Czech Centre Taipei aims to increase Taiwanese’s understanding of Czech industries, education, cultures and tourism, and attract Taiwanese investment to the Central European country, the ministry said, adding that the center opened on June 4.
CzechInvest, the Business and Investment Development Agency of the Czech government, has also said it would set up an overseas office in Taiwan under the BOEP.
Meanwhile, the ministry said it has been working with the Slovakian government in the semiconductor field to build a laboratory for vehicle power modules, develop gallium nitride and gallium oxide semiconductors for vehicle use, and introduce drive system designs for electric vehicles.
The collective research-and-development outcomes are expected to help Taiwanese industries integrate into the European automobile supply chain through exchanges of semiconductor technology, it said.
Taiwan has also been assisting the Republic of Lithuania in constructing a semiconductor design center, a 200mm wafer factory, and a wafer assembly and test factory, among others, the ministry said.
By bolstering Lithuania’s ability to design and manufacture semiconductors, the semiconductor industry would have a Baltic ecosystem which would favor Taiwanese industrial supply chains and technical consulting services, it said.
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