2018-11-05

Replenish 5+2 Industrial Innovation Competitiveness to Attract Real Investment. MOEA’s Taiwan and Europe Bilateral Investment Technology Cooperation Delegation Achieved Great Results.

Wang Mei-Hua, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs, led the “Taiwan-Europe Bilateral Investment Technology Cooperation Delegation" to Germany, Denmark, and the United Kingdom from October 27 to November 2 to advance industrial investment cooperation and attract investment. The delegation visited 8 key foreign companies in the optoelectronics and semiconductors, smart machinery, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, offshore wind power and aviation industries and promoted multiple investment and technology cooperation projects. It also signed a letter of intent (LOI) for investment with the international pharmaceuticals company that ranks first in the world in innovation. The delegation was also invited to exchange opinions on Taiwan and the development of the global circular economy with the Cross-Party Group on Taiwan in the Scottish Parliament. The important achievements of the delegation are as follows: 1. Advancement of optoelectronics, semiconductors and smart manufacturing supply chain in Taiwan: The delegation visited Manz AG, the German high-tech equipment manufacturer and facilitated expansion of next-generation laser cutting and corrosion and human-machine integration technologies based on the company’s foundations for semiconductor wet process equipment manufacturing technologies in Taiwan. The investment will help Taiwan accumulate comprehensive innovation capacity in the optoelectronics and semiconductor equipment manufacturing sector. In addition, the delegation also visited the world-leading pump manufacturer and R&D company Grundfos in Denmark and encouraged the company to continue expansion in Miaoli as well as to conduct technology cooperation with domestic companies in waste water treatment and smart pumps. 2. Advancement of local development in the offshore wind power industry: The advancement of the offshore wind power industry is a key task in Taiwan’s energy transition. Taiwan has selected 7 offshore wind farm developers in the first half of this year. To continue to strengthen weaknesses in domestic production supply chain for Taiwan’s offshore wind power, the delegation focused on European firms that specialize in the production of wind turbines, marine engineering, and other advanced offshore wind power industries. It visited the Danish company MVOW and encouraged the company to establish a nacelle assembly plant or gear box manufacturing plant in Taiwan. The delegation also visited WindHoist, a British company that specializes in installation and logistics for wind turbine installation, and encouraged the company to establish a branch company in Taiwan, form a technical team with domestic suppliers, establish a personnel training center, and help cultivate technical personnel for wind turbine installation. In addition, the delegation also visited the Scottish energy conglomerate Woods Group and encouraged the company to establish a branch company in Taiwan. Woods Group shall comply with Taiwan’s domestic production policies and work with Taiwanese suppliers to expedite technology upgrade and help Taiwan set up a wind turbine industrial chain. 3. Encouraging international pharmaceuticals companies to invest in preliminary R&D of new drugs in Taiwan: The delegation visited the British biochip manufacturer Arrayjet and encouraged the company to commence technology collaboration with Taiwanese ICT and precision manufacturing industries. The delegation also visited AstraZeneca, the British pharmaceuticals manufacturer that ranked first in the world for innovation. Vice Minister Wang Mei-Hua and the company’s Vice President Ms. Rene van der Merwe represented the Ministry and AstraZeneca in signing a letter of intent (LOI) for investment. The Company has operated in Taiwan for more than 70 years. In addition to tripling its clinical research budget in Taiwan in recent years and facilitating the launch of 10 new drugs, the company also announced during the visit that it shall establish the iDream innovation center in Taiwan to cultivate innovative technologies and talents for preliminary R&D in the pharmaceuticals industry in Taiwan. It shall also use Taiwan as the company’s advancement center for the iDream project in Asia which is expected to become a pilot program for powering large international pharmaceuticals companies’ investment in preliminary drug R&D in Taiwan. Members of the delegation, whose mission was to facilitate actual investment and technical collaboration, included representatives of the Department of Investment Services, Industrial Development Bureau, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries Promotion Office, Metal Industries Research & Development Centre, Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories of Industrial Technology Research Institute, and Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories. The MOEA will continue to focus on major industries, target overseas Taiwanese and foreign key technology investors, promote investment in Taiwan, advance industry upgrading and transition, and strengthen overall economic prosperity and growth. Department of Investment Services Spokesperson: Chang Yuan-Chih, Senior Executive Officer Office Number: 02-2389-2111 ext. 812 Mobile Phone: 0937-013-690 Email address: jameschang@moea.gov.tw Contact Person: Lin Mei-Hsing, Section Chief Office Number: 02-2389-2111 ext. 212 Mobile Phone: 0988-158-298 Email address: mhlin2@moea.gov.tw

2018-09-06

Premier vows to support Taiwan's semiconductor industry

Taipei, Sept. 5 (CNA) Premier Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday the government will do its best to come up with pragmatic policies that support the local semiconductor industry.Speaking at a press conference before the opening ceremony of SEMICON Taiwan 2018, the largest IC trade show in the country, Lai said the government will continue to promote tax breaks, relax of regulations and introduce proposals to resolve the "five shortages" as a way of encouraging large semiconductor firms like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to invest more in the country.The so-called five shortages -- land, water, electricity, skilled workers and manpower -- have long been major problems facing the industrial sector.TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, announced last year a plan to build an advanced 3 nanometer wafer fab in Tainan with total investment of more than NT$600 billion (US$19.52 billion) to maintain the lead over its peers.Lai said that following the of efforts of government, industry and academic circle, TSMC has decided to stay in Taiwan to develop sophisticated processes, including 7 nanometer, 5nm and even 3nm technologies.In addition, Lai said, other semiconductor giants such as the world's largest IC packaging and testing services provider ASE Technology Holding Co. and dynamic random access memory access (DRAM) Winbond Electronics Corp. have also pledged to invest more in Taiwan."Taiwan has become one of the most important hubs for the global semiconductor industry," Lai said. "The government is determined to lend its support to help the local semiconductor industry move forward.Lai said he was delighted to see a larger SEMICON Taiwan this year with more than 650 exhibitors attending, at a time when Taiwan's semiconductor industry continues to grow.SEMICON Taiwan, held at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, will run through Friday. The exhibition, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of the global semiconductor business, was organized by SEMI, a global industry association of companies that serves the manufacturing supply chain in the electronics industry.On Tuesday, SEMI analyst Tseng Jui-yu said the production value of Taiwan's semiconductor industry is forecast to hit about NT$3 trillion in 2021, adding that the industry is expected to see year-on-year output growth of 6-8 percent from 2020-2021.According to Taiwan's Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) under the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute, the production value of the local semiconductor industry totaled NT$2.46 billion in 2017, making it the third largest in the world, after the United States and South Korea.

2018-08-05

MOEA America Investment Facilitation Delegation adopts every possible means to promote investment in the semiconductor and 5+2 industries, achieving fruitful results

Kung Ming-Hsin, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) led the "2018 MOEA America Investment Facilitation Delegation" to New York, Chicago, and San Francisco (Silicon Valley) from July 29 to August 5 to promote investment. The aim of the trip was promoting the semiconductor industry, the 5+2 industrial innovations and related key industries in Taiwan. The delegation paid visits to 9 key foreign corporate headquarters and concluded the signing of Letters of Intent (LOI) with 3 foreign companies and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for talent recruitment with Chicago Taiwanese American Professionals (TAP). In addition, the delegation organized 3 forums with Taiwanese businesses and 1 with foreign businesses in various cities to introduce the investment environment and business opportunities in Taiwan, so as to attract foreign investment and technology partnerships and encourage overseas Taiwanese businesses to invest in Taiwan. The visit facilitated approximately NT$6 billion in investment by overseas Taiwanese businesses in Taiwan and is expected lead to further investments in the long term. The primary achievements of this year’s America Investment Facilitation Delegation are as follows: 1. Every possible means, from hard reasoning to lucrative incentives, were adopted to encourage semiconductor investment, thereby accelerating the development of a complete semiconductor supply chain in Taiwan: The semiconductor industry is an integral and supportive part of the infrastructure for the 5+2 industrial innovations currently being promoted in Taiwan. The delegation deployed a number of approaches this time and succeeded in having Deputy Minister Kung, on behalf of MOEA, sign Letters of Intent (LOI) with Mr. Martin Anstice, CEO of the world’s third largest semiconductor equipment company Lam Research, and with Mr. Aart J. de Geus, Chairman and co-CEO of the world’s largest semiconductor and electronic design automation company Synopsys. In terms of hardware, Lam Research is going to expand its semiconductor equipment revamping and the establishment of production lines in Taiwan and recruit an additional 100 employees. The company expects to see a multi-fold increase in its output value in Taiwan. In terms of software, Synopsys is going to recruit 100 more employees in Taiwan and focus its efforts on helping TSMC complete its advanced process technologies and boosting AI intellectual property development in Taiwan. Both will help fill existing gaps in the semiconductor supply chain in Taiwan and strengthen Taiwan's overall international competitiveness. 2. Strengthened the 5+2 supply chains by “filling key gaps” and actively promoting investment and collaboration with key international technology companies: In terms of biopharmaceutical collaborations, the delegation paid visits to the headquarters of Johnson & Johnson, Celgene, and Gilead and met with representatives from Pfizer. The delegation reached agreements with these companies for increased investment and more technical collaboration in tumor research, new anti inflammatory drug research, and cell therapy. In terms of results in aerospace technologies, the delegation paid a visit to the headquarters of Boeing, the United State's largest aerospace company, to promote supply chain partnerships between Boeing and Taiwanese aerospace manufacturers, including AIDC, EVA Air, and China Airlines, in cabin doors and seats for civil aircrafts and passenger to cargo conversion. The delegation also facilitated arrangements for Boeing executives to visit Taiwan for further discussion in the near future. 3. Accelerated introduction of forward thinking models of AI development into Taiwan to drive new opportunities in startup investment and technological capabilities: The East and West Coasts of the United States are the world’s largest startup hubs. The delegation paid a visit to Graphen, a well known American AI startup which supplies AI computing models that can be used in anti-money laundering efforts, core banking system monitoring, network security, and NPL forecasting, and signed an LOI with Taiwanese born CEO and Founder Dr. Ching-Yung Lin, who is also Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. The company is going to set up an AI R&D center in Taiwan and gradually expand the team to include 100 AI developers. The center will work with financial and medical institutions and provide assistance in training AI talent in Taiwan. The delegation also paid a visit to Boxed, America’s fastest growing smart logistics startup. The company, which works in online retail platforms and develops unmanned picking vehicles to boost the overall logistics capacity, plans to visit Taiwan and meet with potential suppliers to discuss investment projects. Furthermore, the delegation met with seven foreign businesses in New York, including WeWork, Intersection, New Enterprise Association (NEA), Jackson Lab, and Intra-Cellular Therapies. As a result, WeWork is going to invest in startup partnerships in Taiwan, NEA is going to invest in promising startups in Taiwan, and Jackson Lab is going to seek technology partners in Taiwan. 4. Stepped up efforts to recruit talent in the Midwestern United States: While the delegation was in Chicago, Deputy Minister Kung witnessed the signing of an MOU between the Department of Investment Services of MOEA and Chicago Taiwanese American Professionals (TAP) to recruit foreign talent. TAP is the largest group of Taiwanese American professionals in Chicago. Its members include professionals in banking, startup, and law. The Department of Investment Services encouraged TAP members to sign up with Contact Taiwan, the one-stop window for recruitment in Taiwan. The department also invited TAP to take part in recruitment events and introduce members interested in working in Taiwan to exploring business opportunities together with local talent. 5. Attended to Taiwanese businesses’ global operations needs and invited Taiwanese businesses to invest in Taiwan: The delegate organized one forum each for Taiwanese businesses in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco at which were provided information on the advantages of Taiwan's investment environment and various supportive measures offered by the government. The forums were well received and attended by more than a hundred Taiwanese business representatives. Meanwhile, the delegation listened to Taiwanese businesses to learn about their various needs and suggestions, including their support for Taiwan’s positive economic growth, confidence in investing in Taiwan, and concern over the impact of U.S.-China trade war on investment between Taiwan and the United States. These businesses urged the government to encourage a broader application of AI technology in the banking sector and resolve the issue of finding land for Taiwanese businesses looking to invest in Taiwan. A number of Taiwanese businesses also expressed strong interest in investing in Taiwan. The MOEA will have the appropriate departments work together to provide the necessary assistance. Members of the delegation, whose mission was to facilitate actual investment and technical collaboration, included representatives of the Department of Investment Services, Department of Industrial Technology, InvesTaiwan Service Center, Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories of ITRI, Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories of ITRI, Metal Industries Research and Development Centre, Committee for Aviation Industry Development of MOEA, and Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries Promotion Office of MOEA. The MOEA will continue to focus on major industries, target overseas Taiwanese and foreign key technology investors, promote investment in Taiwan, advance industry upgrading and transition, and strengthen overall economic prosperity and growth. Spokesperson of the Department of Investment Services: Alex Chen, Deputy Director General Telephone: 02-2389-2111 ext. 812 Mobile phone: 0988-368-187 Email: alexchen@moea.gov.tw Contact Person: Lin Mei-Hsing, Section Chief Telephone: 02-2389-2111 ext. 210 Mobile phone: 0988-158-298 Email: mhlin2@moea.gov.tw

2018-05-08

Feeling Optimistic About Taiwan's Semiconductor Industry, Japanese Enterprise Taiwan Tohcello Invests NT$1.7 Billion for the Construction of the Kaohsiung Plant

On May 8, Mr. Wen-Sheng (Vincent) Tseng, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), was invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new plant to be constructed by Taiwan Tohcello Functional Sheet, Inc., a Japanese enterprise, inside the Kaohsiung Science Park. Taiwan Tohcello Functional Sheet, Inc. is a company established in Taiwan by Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. With over 80 years of corporate history in Japan, Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello, Inc. has been a key supplier of thin films to a number of major semiconductor manufacturers in Taiwan. Feeling optimistic about the future development of Taiwan's semiconductor industry, the Company is projected to invest NT$1.7 billion to build its own manufacturing plant in Taiwan. This is also the first overseas investment project that is 100% funded by the Company. Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello's Representative Director and President Takeshi Kaide arrived in Taiwan to host the groundbreaking ceremony. Other VIPs in attendance included Vice Mayor Che Shih from the Kaohsiung City Government, Chairman Yoshiya Iwachido from Taiwan Tohcello Functional Sheet, Inc., and STSP Bureau Director General Wei-cheng Lin. During his speech, Deputy Minister Wen-Sheng (Vincent) Tseng pointed out that Taiwan's semiconductor industry is a key development industry. Taiwan possesses the world's most concentrated semiconductor production base and a complete industry chain. It holds a crucial position in the global supply chain as well as the leadership role in a number of domains, including technical capabilities, product development, and product applications. In addition, Taiwan is also actively involved in the promotion of the 5+2 Industry Innovation Program, which includes the Asian Silicon Valley, smart machinery, green technologies, biopharmaceuticals, national defense, as well as new agriculture and circular economy. In response to the latest development trends in artificial intelligence, Big Data, and IoT, which are driving the demand for semiconductors, domestic semiconductor manufacturers (such as TSMC) have already announced increased investment spending to set up 5nm and 3nm fabs in Taiwan. New R&D centers will also be constructed to actively introduce more advanced production processes, which will increase demand and drive the development of upstream and downstream semiconductor industries. Now is the best time for international businesses to invest in Taiwan! Deputy Minister Tseng also pointed out that the protective thin films produced by the Taiwan Tohcello Functional Sheet, Inc. will be mainly used as a film to prevent wafer contamination during the semiconductor manufacturing process (the material is lightweight and offers high adhesion). By investing in Taiwan, the Company's product is easily accessible to the semiconductor manufacturers in Taiwan. In addition, technological collaboration with local industries can be enhanced to help Taiwan rapidly construct a comprehensive semiconductor industry chain, thereby injecting new energy into Taiwan's semiconductor industry. The Company can also grow together with domestic semiconductor manufacturers and expand into the global market. Moreover, the MOEA provides one-stop investment services to companies making investments in Taiwan. MOEA's Department of Investment Services and InvesTaiwan Service Center can assign dedicated personnel to provide consultations and assistance throughout the process from land search, stationing processes, to contacting local government offices. Central and local government cooperation platforms are also utilized to maintain close communication with Kaohsiung City Government, jointly helping to accelerate procedures for plant establishment, so that companies will experience the efficiency and advantages of Taiwan's investment environment. Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello's Representative Director and President Takeshi Kaide expressed that because he feels confident about Taiwan's overall investment environment and the future development of its semiconductor industry, especially the 5+2 Industry Innovation Program promoted by the Taiwanese government, plus the fact that Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturers are actively introducing more advanced production processes, he predicts that the requirements and growth of the overall semiconductor industry will also be effectively boosted. A special thanks to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Kaohsiung City Government for their generous assistance, which will accelerate the construction work and allow the factory to become operational. Deputy Minister Tseng also emphasized Taiwan's advantages of being a logistics hub in the Asia-Pacific, solid industrial clusters, excellent human resources, complete infrastructure, and intellectual property protection. This is why Taiwan's overall investment environment is highly acclaimed by many international rankings. Investing in Taiwan is the best choice. We look forward to Tohcello's continued utilization of Taiwan's unique environmental advantages. With the Company's continued investment in Taiwan, mutually beneficial relationships can be formed with Taiwanese suppliers. Department of Investment Services Spokesperson: Director Emile Chang Office Number: 02-2389-2111 Ext.: 811 Mobile Phone: 0910232199 Email:mpchang@moea.gov.tw Contact Person: Lin Mei-Hsing, Section Chief Office Number: 02-2389-2111 Ext.210 Mobile Phone: 0988158298 Email: mhlin2@moea.gov.tw