TSMC, Bavaria to team up on new AI chip R&D center

Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) Germany's Bavarian State Government has announced a collaboration with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to establish an AI chip research and development center at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

The center, the Munich Advanced Technology Center for High-tech AI Chips (MACHT-AI), will aim to strengthen Europe's chip design capabilities and cultivate German semiconductor talent, according to a press release by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy on Monday (Germany time).

The state ministry said MACHT-AI will be led by Professor Hussam Amrouch and will focus on developing high-performance, customizable AI chips.

It will also train students and researchers in semiconductor processes, including FinFET transistors, with technical support from TSMC.

TUM President Thomas Hofmann said the new center will deepen teaching and research in FinFET and AI hardware design, while opening new opportunities for cooperation with TSMC.

The center will be funded jointly by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts and the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, with a total budget of about 4.5 million euros, according to the state ministry statement.

Markus Blume, minister of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, thanked TSMC for its cooperation and said the partnership would enable the cultivation of local talent in advanced chip technologies.

Hubert Aiwanger, minister of the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, said Europe continues to face a shortage of professionals in AI chip design, adding that the center will help address Germany's semiconductor talent gap.