Saxony State Minister for Science, Culture and Tourism Sebastian Gemkow is pictured during an interview with CNA in Taipei on Wednesday. CNA photo Jan. 24, 2024
Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) Thirty students from the German state of Saxony will come to Taiwan in March to receive training in semiconductor manufacturing, visiting state official Sebastian Gemkow said Wednesday.
They will be the first group of students to come to Taiwan under a talent incubation program developed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), Saxony state government, and Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden), Gemkow told CNA during an interview in Taipei.
The trilateral partnership was established last September with the aim of cultivating a skilled workforce in the field of chip manufacturing in the German state, in the wake of TSMC's announcement it would build a new fab in Dresden, the capital of Saxony.
According to Gemkow, who is currently minister of science, culture and tourism in the state of Saxony, the selected students will begin a series of online semiconductor courses starting February.
In March, they will travel to Taiwan, where they will carry on with their courses at local universities, such as National Taiwan University, and undergo training at TSMC's plants for a duration of six months, added Gemkow, who arrived in Taipei on Tuesday for a three-day visit.
In the long run, more German students from TU Dresden and other universities in Saxony who are interested in semiconductors will come to Taiwan, the official said, noting that the Saxon Science Liaison Office in Taiwan, inaugurated last September, has been working "around the clock" on this endeavor.
According to Lora Ho (何麗梅), TSMC's senior vice president of human resources, it is hoped that ultimately 100 German students specializing in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics will be sent to Taiwan as part of the program each year.
In August 2023, TSMC announced plans to build a 12-inch wafer fab in Dresden to make automotive chips, as part of a joint venture with Bosch, Infineon Technologies and NXP Semiconductors.
Total investment is expected to exceed 10 billion euros (US$10.7 billion), with the German government promising to provide 5 billion euros in subsidies.
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