The government must take a more active role in helping the semiconductor industry if the nation expects to maintain its advantage in the field, president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday during a tour of industries at the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區).
Tsai cited China’s supply chain in the industry as the greatest competition, adding that Taiwan needs to foster its own talent while creating an environment that would retain talent in the industry.
Tsai said that she had not specifically included the semiconductor industry in her research and development plan in the five innovative industries.
Photo: Chen Hui-ping, Taipei Times
The semiconductor industry will prove mutually beneficial with the five innovative industries — green energy, “Asian Silicon valley,” national defense, biotechnology and medicine and smart machinery — as it will provide the impetus for research and development, while benefiting from applications in different technologies, she said.
They will serve to pull along the other industries within their supply chains, just as a locomotive pulls carriages, Tsai said.
The government must become more active if the nation wishes to maintain its edge and it must form partnerships with corporations, Tsai said, adding that the incoming government pledges stable water and electricity supplies, as well as land, for companies to manufacture products.
Coordinating Taiwan’s expertise with that of other nations, such as software in the US, as well as industries in Japan that supply key components, could solidify the nation’s foothold in foreign markets, with a chance of becoming a major supply center for information and communications technology products on a global scale, Tsai said.
Meanwhile, Etron Technology president Nicky Lu (盧超群) said that the government should seek to manage Chinese investment in Taiwanese information and communication design industries, rather than stonewalling Chinese investors.
The Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association, which Lu chairs, polled member companies on allowing Chinese investment in the Taiwanese integrated circuit (IC) design industry, with a majority backing the idea, Lu said.
Some academics are dead set against the idea, but as it stands, Chinese investors are already investing in Taiwanese IC firms, albeit in a roundabout manner, Lu said.
Lu said Taiwanese IC design companies, such as MediaTek, could also look into buying out Chinese IC design companies.
More than 500 electronic engineering and information technology professors have signed a petition against Chinese investment in the Taiwanese IC design sector.
In addition, one anonymous company representative at the meeting told reporters in private that Lu’s opinion did not represent the industry entirely, adding however that those in opposition were afraid of speaking out.
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