Lai touts industrial connections at Semicon

President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said Taiwan’s semiconductor industry has created new industrial connections around the world, reinforcing international ties and creating a more diversified and resilient supply chain.

Speaking at this year’s Semicon Network Summit in Taipei, Lai said Taiwan has developed a comprehensive semiconductor industry cluster over the past few decades through global division of labor and long-term cooperation, enabling fast, flexible and efficient manufacturing.

Taiwan’s semiconductor capabilities have helped create networks around the world, allowing countries to leverage their respective strengths and cooperate on research, development and production, he said.

Such connections can provide mutual support in the face of natural disasters, pandemics and geopolitical crises, he added.

The global semiconductor industry, with a market estimated to be worth more than US$1.5 trillion this year, encompasses IC design, equipment, materials, advanced manufacturing, testing and packaging, requiring investment from businesses and countries across each segment, Lai said.

He said that Nvidia Corp has invested and procured more than NT$3 trillion (US$94.84 billion) of goods and services annually in Taiwan, while Micron Technology Inc has invested more than NT$1.4 trillion and Advanced Micro Devices Inc has expanded its research investment to more than NT$300 billion.

Meanwhile, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in July announced that it would invest an additional US$100 billion in Arizona, Lai said, adding that TSMC’s investments in Japan were also progressing smoothly.

TSMC’s semiconductor fab in Dresden, Germany, is expected to begin production by the end of next year, contributing to local transportation, talent and industrial development, he said.

Lai thanked summit participants from 38 countries for their support of Taiwan.

The government would continue to develop critical technologies, including silicon photonics, quantum technology and artificial-intelligence (AI) robotics, while improving infrastructure related to computing power, water, electricity, land and talent, he said.

In a prerecorded video for the forum, US Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg called semiconductors the “single most important technology of our lifetime,” talking about their importance to AI leadership, defense capabilities and the global economy.

Taiwan has been at the center of the semiconductor industry for decades and is investing in the US to expand its manufacturing base, Helberg said.

The world had learned that “concentration without resilience is a vulnerability,” he said, highlighting the importance of the “Pax Silica” project, which he described as a network of trusted partners committed to fair trade, reliable suppliers, the rule of law and secure technology.

Summit participants should continue investing in and building resilient connections among partner economies, Helberg said, adding that the US and Taiwan are “partners in securing the technology that will shape the rest of this century.”

The summit was held in Hall 2 of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center ahead of Semicon Taiwan, which runs from today to Friday. The event features discussions among global semiconductor leaders, policymakers and research experts, according to its official Web site.

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That compares with 55 ships detected in June and 30 in May, and 58 in July last year. In

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The practice needs to be addressed, considering Taiwan has been a democracy for many

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The storm’s outer bands, combined with strengthening southwesterly winds, are expected to bring heavy rain to southern and southeastern Taiwan today, it said. As the storm approaches Matsu,

LIMITED: The bill’s NT$40bn annual spending cap would prevent Taiwan from effectively building up its drone combat capabilities, National Defense Minister Wellington Koo said The legislature yesterday rejected the Executive Yuan’s NT$210 billion (US$6.62 billion) special budget proposal to buy military drones and instead passed its own plan, which earmarks NT$40 billion per year over six consecutive years. The Executive Yuan said its plan to buy about 210,000 drones by 2031 could not wait, as the wars in Ukraine and Iran showed the importance of uncrewed systems in modern warfare amid a rising threat from China.

However, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their opposition majority to pass a bill providing NT$240 billion through annual budgets over six years, with annual