The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of Taiwan held a press conference on September 20, announcing the Taiwan Chip Industry Innovation Program (TCIIP). NSTC Minister Wu Zhengzhong stated that as part of the TCIIP facility upgrade plan, a semiconductor company has expressed interest in donating a 12-inch wafer fab to meet the growing demand for tape-out from future startups.
Currently, the name of the potential donor has not been disclosed, and the plan has not yet been finalized.
It is reported that one of the main goals of TCIIP is to promote Taiwan as the best training center for semiconductor talent globally. To address the shortage of talent in startups and emerging technologies, as well as the lack of tape-out facilities, the program seeks to upgrade the semiconductor equipment and teaching materials at the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLAB) and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), closely collaborating with local university semiconductor research institutes.
At present, there are still some issues to consider regarding the donation of the wafer fab, as even if NARLAB receives this donation in the future, they will face extremely high operational costs for maintaining the facility. Local agencies need to consider whether there is enough budget to cover these expenses. It is reported that the semiconductor research institution has an annual budget of NT$12 billion (approximately US$373 million), which does not include the construction of new facilities, as this is not part of TCIIP.
NSTC has committed to inviting the education department and the development committee to seek solutions. Wu Zhengzhong stated that Taiwan has the most complete semiconductor supply chain in the world and will work across departments to make Taiwan the best cooperation platform connecting international startups with the local supply chain, allowing the best talents to innovate in Taiwan. He also mentioned that IC design can integrate knowledge from different disciplines and generative artificial intelligence to develop new applications and promote innovation.