The only way Europe is getting that leading-edge fab

Europe is dusting off its ambitions in advanced semiconductor manufacturing once again. After several attempts in the past, nineteen EU member states recently signed a joint declaration to collaborate on “strengthening Europe’s capacity to develop the next generation of processors and semiconductors. This includes chips and embedded systems that offer the best performance for specific applications across a wide range of sectors as well as leading-edge manufacturing progressively advancing towards 2nm nodes for processor technology.”

Europe isn’t the only one seeking to bolster its local semiconductor ecosystem. The US has recently persuaded TSMC to build a 5nm fab in Arizona and Samsung is mulling to commence 3nm production in Texas. Japan is setting up an advanced IC packaging and testing plant together with TSMC. And even though results so far haven’t been as lofty as its ambitions, China is more motivated than ever to establish its own semiconductor industry now that its access to advanced technology is being squeezed by the US – a situation that isn’t likely to reverse any time soon.