Chip shortage continues, Infineon is willing to cooperate with TSMC to set up factories in Europe.
On August 16, it was reported that Reinhard Ploss, CEO of Infineon, a major German semiconductor manufacturer, reiterated in an interview with local media that he is open to cooperating with TSMC to set up factories in Europe, but emphasized that the premise is government support. He predicts that the shortage of chips in some areas will continue until 2023.
According to the report, Infineon CEO Reinhard Ploss said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) on the 14th that it is necessary for Europe to reflect on the problems of excessive dependence on imports and lack of autonomy for chips. It is a good thing to work hard in the semiconductor field. , But the distance from the opponent may have to “pole vault” to catch up.
Earlier at the TSMC shareholder meeting, TSMC Chairman Liu Deyin said that he was evaluating the feasibility of establishing a fab in Germany, but at this stage it is in an early evaluation and it is still too early to make a decision.
However, the industry has evaluated three possible ways for TSMC to deploy in Germany. In addition to building its own factory, it is more likely to negotiate with German officials and major customers for joint funding. Compare the initial investment model for Singapore to set up a factory or use technology to invest in Germany. The establishment of a joint venture company and the authorization of long-term European partners may involve various negotiation processes, and it is expected that it will take some time before they come to the fore.
In early August of this year, Infineon CEO Reinhard Ploss said at the financial report briefing that TSMC is welcome to set up factories in Germany. Reinhard Ploss said, “It would be an interesting idea for TSMC to set up a factory in Germany.” When asked about Intel’s request for EU support for the company to build a factory in Europe, Reinhard Ploss said that Intel’s technology does not work closely with Infineon, but TSMC, “The technology produced by TSMC is relatively close to ours.”
In this interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Reinhard Ploss was asked if Infineon is willing to participate if TSMC comes to Europe to set up factories. Reinhard Ploss said: “If you can contribute, you are basically open.” But he emphasized, The prerequisite for Infineon’s investment is that the government is willing to support, and the multinational cooperation of enterprises should share common values so that they can trust each other.
As for the global chip shortage, Reinhard Ploss said that the main reason for the current tight supply problem is that the foundry industry has been in short supply since last year. Such a situation has rarely happened before. He estimated that the problem of tight supply of chips in some areas will continue until 2023, because it may take up to two and a half years to build a factory that can process wafers into chips, even if it takes up to one year to upgrade the existing factory time.
Reinhard Ploss pointed out that the current production gap of mobile phone chips is about 20%, while the gap in other areas is about 10%. Moreover, the blockade during the new crown epidemic has increased the demand for home electronics products, coupled with the temporary closure of factories, and more It puts pressure on supply, so it is necessary to wait for new semiconductor manufacturing capacity to be opened, otherwise the shortage of wafers may continue until 2023.