“Chip, Chip Hurrah!”. Thus he opened the front page of the Bild Zeitung the day before yesterday. An unusual choice for the giant of the European popular press which generally deals with the economy only to take it out on the Mediterranean "cicadas" who conspire against the savings of the austere North. But this time the news deserved an exception: the colossus of Taiwan Tsmc, the semiconductor giant created by Morris Chang, has chosen the Germany which seat of his first European plant: 10 billion euros for 70% of a joint venture together with Bosch, Infineon and allDutch NXP. But to put most of the capital, 50%, the State will be determined to create the conditions for the development of the electric car, the first customer of the mega plant which from 2027 will be churning out 40000 wafers a month, i.e. cakes made up of very thin strips of silicon with a diameter of 300 millimeters which in turn will carry invisible fleas from 12 to 28 nanometres, the basic nourishment for cars made in Germany which have paid dearly for lack of chips in the last two years.
Dresden, the European Silicon Valley
It is almost a novelty for Germany the advent of Entrepreneur state. But, even before receiving the authorization from the EU, Berlin, strengthened by a budget that enjoys triple A ratings (now unique after the relegation of the US bond) has by now filed away any hesitation on state aid. The Tsmc plant will be built at Dresden, in the heart of a depressed region of the East, destined to become the new engine of German revival. In support of this ambition, another even more important investment stands out: the 10 billion guaranteed to Intel for the new immense Magdeburg (30 billion euros total cost) which will lead the commitments of the American group in Europe, including Italy (but the project is still in an embryonic stage). Finally, at least up to now, there is also the billion for a new Infineon plant, also in Dresden: a smart factory inaugurated by the chancellor Olaf Scholz in person. “We are creating – she said on the occasion – the largest European production center in the semiconductor field”.
In all, so far, the central state and the Lander have invested at least 20 billion to finance the take-off of a district that already today employs 70 workers destined to continue to grow. More or less what the Italian government lacks to make ends meet, finance the landing on the TLC network and contribute who knows how to the gigafactory stellantis. The German hub, largely subsidized, threatens to widen the gap with Southern European industry. The map of industrial alliances confirms that Berlin looks to Asia as to Sates but is resistant to possible joint investments with its European cousins.
The first danger for the German economy: racism
“Ours is certainly not a choice to save money – defends the green minister Robert Habeck – but it is a forced move, decisive for our European future”. The real obstacle at this point is not the objections within the EU but the lack of personnel. The Tsmc factory alone needs 2 specialized technicians, a human material that flourishes in Taiwan but is lacking both in the United States, where factories yield much less than on the island, and in Germany. With an aggravating circumstance: Saxony has a sad record of xenophobia fueled by the propaganda ofestrema destra of the growing Afd in the ex East Germany (up to 32% in surveys). In these conditions, it is difficult to attract personnel capable of running the plants. “The racism of the AfD – said the liberal Christian Lindner – is the first danger for the German economy”.
