The governor of the US State of Indiana, Eric Holcomb, has met with President Tsai Ing-wen as part of a four-day visit to Taiwan. He’s the first US state leader to make the trip since 2019.
Holcomb told Tsai on Monday that he looks forward to signing cooperation deals with Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturers.
Indiana recently sealed a deal worth US$1.8 billion with American chip company SkyWater to build the state’s first chip production facility. And in June, Taiwan’s chip giant MediaTek said it would work with Indiana’s Purdue University to create a new design hub.
The rush to attract chip makers comes after Joe Biden signed into law the CHIPS Act. The new law aims to make the United States less reliant on other countries for its semiconductors by offering US$50 billion in funding for local chip design and manufacturing.
President Tsai Ing-wen has welcomed Holcomb’s visit, saying Taiwan is ready to help create a sustainable supply chain for what she calls “democracy chips.”