Saxony state chief opens debut Saxony-Taiwan Science Conference

Taipei, Sept. 30 (CNA) The head of the German state of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, was in Taipei on Tuesday to open the first-ever Saxony-Taiwan Science Conference, a forum aimed at bolstering ties in the semiconductor and electronic sectors.

Speaking at the conference's opening ceremony, Minister-President Kretschmer said the one-day conference was a continuation of a series of similar conferences held in Dresden, the capital of Saxony, where Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is building a wafer fab.

These events are meant to bring young people from different countries together in order to tackle the challenges of the century, including climate change, pandemics, and digitalization, he said.

"We want to bring minds together from all over the world to tackle these challenges," Kretschmer said, voicing his belief that the chip and microelectronic sectors were key to tackling those challenges.

Kretschmer said that the state of Saxony and Taiwan have similar histories.

"We started with the chip industry in Saxony, and we built on our talents and our engineers, and developed into the prime location for the chip industry in Europe," he said via an interpreter.

Speaking at the same ceremony, Saxony Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow said Taiwan and Saxony are both known worldwide as centers of excellence in this field and that he welcomed TSMC's investment in the state.

"We are proud that Taiwan's largest company, TSMC, has chosen Saxony as a location for its future investment. This is not only a signal of confidence in our economy, but also a strong trend for us in education," he said.

Meanwhile, the deputy head of Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council, Chen Bing-yu (陳炳宇), said Taiwan and Germany are determined to develop more energy-efficient technology in this field to bring a more sustainable future.

"As such, today's conference will focus on promoting sustainability in semiconductors. I firmly believe that our mutual strengths can lead to groundbreaking solutions in these areas," Chen said.

According to the conference's organizer, the Saxon Science Liaison Office Taiwan, the conference is titled "Sustainability Perspectives in the Semiconductor Industry."

The conference serves as a platform for Saxony and Taiwan "to forge strategic alliances with universities, research centers, and industry partners that address global challenges and drive sustainable development in the electronics sector."

TSMC started to build a fab in Dresden in August 2024, and construction is scheduled to be completed in 2027 to cater to the European auto market and the industrial sector.

TSMC holds a 70 percent stake in the venture, known as European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC). Robert Bosch GmbH and Infineon Technologies AG, both based in Germany, and Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors N.V. each hold a 10 percent share, according to Reuters.