German chipmaker Infineon to set up R&D center in Taiwan

Taipei, June 17 (CNA) Germany's Infineon Technologies AG, the world's top automotive chipmaker, will set up a research and development center in Taiwan which it is estimated will cost NT$1.2 billion (US$37.06 million), Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs announced in Taipei on Monday.

The ministry and the company jointly announced the establishment of the advanced automotive and wireless communication semiconductor R&D center, at a publicity event held at the German Institute Taipei.

The center will involve transferring Infineon's new generation of technology to Taiwan for bluetooth chip development and manufacturing, marking the first time a major European chipmaker has set up such a R&D facility in Taiwan, highlighting Taiwan's increasing influence in the global semiconductor and automotive chip fields, the ministry said.

Economics Minister J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said that the establishment of Infineon's R&D center is expected to introduce the world's leading automotive wireless remote control technology to Taiwan, strengthen technical cooperation between domestic manufacturers and international automotive electronics experts, and help domestic industry players enter the international automotive market.

Speaking at the event, Sam Geha, executive vice president of IoT, compute and wireless business at Infineon, said that the company has had a strong presence in Taiwan since 1999 and he is impressed by Taiwan's vibrant innovation ecosystem, including highly skilled R&D talent and strong industrial clusters.

Geha said that the R&D center represents an upgrade from Infineon's wireless communication R&D lab in Taiwan by in part receiving financial support from MOEA through its global R&D and innovation partnership program.

According to data posted on MOEA website, Infineon will receive a subsidy of NT$480 million through the program and raise NT$720 million on its own for the establishment of the center.

After its establishment, the center could potentially result in Infineon investing NT$2.7 billion in Taiwan and generating NT$60 billion in production value for Taiwan's automotive industry, according to an estimate provided by the ministry.