TSMC Sets Up Research Centre in Munich for Advanced Technology Innovations
TSMC to Establish Research and Development Center in Munich, Focusing on Automotive, AI, and IoT
In a strategic move, world-leading semiconductor foundry TSMS is set to open a new research and development (R&D) center in Munich, Germany, by the third quarter of 2025. Paul de Bot, TSMC's Europe chief, announced this expansion during a recent interview.
The upcoming Munich facility will primarily support European clients in developing high-performance semiconductors for various industries, including the automotive sector, industrial applications, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT).
TSMC, headquartered in Taiwan, is currently engaged in a joint project in Dresden with Infineon, NXP, and Bosch to build a fabrication (fab) plant.
The forthcoming Munich center will focus on several key applications. In the automotive domain, the center will develop advanced semiconductor solutions, including microcontrollers with innovative integrated memory technologies such as Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM) for automotive applications. The center also plans to innovate chips for smart, electric, and autonomous vehicles.
For industrial and consumer products, the center will focus on specialized chip development, further diversifying TSMC's offerings in the European market. In the AI and high-performance computing (HPC) sphere, the company aims to design chips that are high-density, high-performance, and energy-efficient, leveraging its expertise in design technology co-optimization (DTCO). The center will also support the development of chips for IoT applications, augmenting the region's technological prowess in this area.
The Munich R&D center will utilize DTCO to bridge product design and manufacturing, ensuring chips are optimized for TSMC's process technologies. The facility will also support the development of chips using both mature and leading-edge process technologies.
The strategy behind this expansion includes strengthening TSMC's presence in Europe, boosting collaboration with local industries, and contributing to Europe's goal of technological self-reliance. The company is partnering with major European companies like Robert Bosch GmbH, Infineon Technologies AG, and NXP Semiconductors NV through the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (ESMC) joint venture. The ESMC joint venture plans to invest over 10 billion euros in the Dresden plant, with additional funding from the EU.
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in various European industries, such as automotive, industrial, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT), stand to benefit from the advanced semiconductor solutions that will be developed at TSMC's new R&D center in Munich.
- The Munich R&D center, focused on automotive, aerospace, technology, and finance, aims to design energy-efficient chips for high-performance computing (HPC) and IoT applications, leveraging TSMC's expertise in design technology co-optimization (DTCO), thereby bolstering Europe's technological sector and fostering collaboration with local industries.
