Against the background of the rapidly growing demand for semiconductors, the Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC is considering building a factory in Germany.
In addition to Germany, the construction of such a plant in Japan is also being examined, CEO Mark Liu said at the annual general meeting on Monday.
If the considerations are realized, TSMC strives to share the costs with the customers or the countries.
Computer chips are currently in short supply in many industries, also because the demand increased again during the Corona crisis.
It had given the digitalization of the world an additional boost.
Last but not least, German car manufacturers have had to pause their production in many cases in recent months due to the shortage.
Chip manufacturers are currently investing a lot of money in expanding their capacities.
In order to secure the chip supply in the long term, regions such as the EU and individual states are increasingly aiming for domestic production.
The chip company Intel recently advertised for more government funding.
Germany boss Christin Eisenschmid had told the editorial network Germany that an environment was needed that would also allow competitive production in Europe.
In Asia, for example, production can be 40 percent cheaper.
Most of this comes from subsidies, which has been part of the industrial strategy of governments for many years.
"A similar funding policy is also essential in order to manufacture more semiconductors in Europe," Eisenschmid was quoted as saying.
The US group already operates a chip factory in Ireland, is planning another location in Europe and is expecting funding in the billions.
Bavaria is hoping for a settlement.