There is not and there will be no truce and whoever stays behind will pay dearly. Europe has lagged behind in terms of chip manufacturing knowing that it is Europe and no one else, but rather all of it, part of the handle of the pan with ASML and also the ARM business is very close to the UK. For this reason, the objective of the law that the EU is going to promote will focus on FAB’sin the purest US style.
The EU and the 52 billion: these are the first details
There is no specific figure, but there is an approximate weighting that is undoubtedly abysmal. Europe shows muscle and does so with a mega plan that will include, technically speaking, MEGA FABs as well as a billion-dollar investment in R&D.
Thierry Breton was more or less explicit when asked about the amount of the project, but what he slipped is that this Law of Chips is commensurate with the US bet. Or what is the same: 52 billion on the table to attract all the talent, the materials, the FABs and of course, the production to the national territory and thereby recover the ground that we had lost.
These 52 billion (approximate of course) will not be free. They will come out of the pocket of all Europeans and have a series of conditions that the companies that come have to fulfill through contracts and if they do not they could be fined.
EU measures or tools and their conditions
Receiving funding is not free and with these numbers on the table there will be pressure from the EU as well as monthly reports, forecasts and, of course, observers who will ensure that everything is fulfilled as signed.
The so-called tools, according to Breton, will be offered and implemented to guarantee supply in times of crisis, or simply require that a company prioritize the production of certain relevant products that the continent needs, which cannot be intervened or delayed by other commitments of the FAB, must guarantee and prioritize its manufacture and deliver above any product, worth what it is worth.
In order to ensure the interests of the EU, the commission is studying the legal requirement for said compliance where, in accordance with this and in annexes, a series of requests for information on stocks, various delivery schedules and, above all, the production capacity of each FAB will also be included. .
It is even rumored that it could include, at least in the first draft, an export control and fines if data is falsified or the information is simply not correct, although it seems that this has yet to be discussed. The objective is clear, not to depend on the US or Asia for semiconductors and also to recover the 20% global share in 2030, which would mean that in just 8 years national production in European territory would quadruple. Europe, 52 billion through, finally wakes up and will step on the accelerator at the level of the largest.
