Taiwan’s large concentration of semiconductor manufacturing safeguards its role in international supply chains. That was according to Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua (王美花) on Wednesday.
With tensions rising in the Taiwan Strait, countries around the world are looking to develop their own semiconductor manufacturing capacity. This amounts to removing Taiwan from global supply chains to protect countries’ access to critical chips.
But Wang says Taiwan has an advantage in its critical mass of semiconductor foundries. TSMC alone supplies over half of the world’s chips. She says no one country can replace Taiwan’s role in this market. And she adds Taiwan will continue to expand its role in the wafer market, advancing its key position.
Beyond bringing economic benefits to Taiwan, the country’s semiconductors industry also has geopolitical importance. Earlier this month, TSMC founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) said on the US news program 60 Minutes that Taiwan’s chips industry acts as a “silicon shield” that protects the country from Chinese invasion.