Spain competes with France and Germany to become the European benchmark for microchips

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the European economy has been hit by a semiconductor crisis without precedent. A shortage that will continue until 2023 and has raised alarm in the old continent, which is now looking for ways to reduce its reliance on sugar factories.

The government’s president kicked off his visit to Switzerland on Tuesday with a round of meetings with directors of large technology companies. Pedro Sánchez took advantage of his speech at the Davos Forum to outline Spain’s aspiration to become a European microchip manufacturing hub.

In this race, Spain tries to establish itself as a production center. This Tuesday the Council of Ministers approved the requisition part of semiconductors, which includes a public investment of €12,250 million. Moncloa’s condition has been settled. The government has appointed the former president of Motorola Spain Jaime Martorell As the High Commissioner in charge of coordinating the measure.

However, private financing will be important. The International Energy Agency’s guideline states that 60% of new vehicles should be electric in 2030. An overly ambitious target, but one that is beginning to mark the strategy of major carmakers.

In this scenario, semiconductors play a major role. The community country hosting its production will have the economic key and Spain has the means to achieve it. “We have a cutting edge design fabric, semiconductor designers who work for big manufacturers like Tesla,” he says. alfonso gabaroneSpokesperson of the Spanish Association of Semiconductor Industry (AESEMI).

Still, it will not be easy for Spain. There are two favorites in the competition hosting large manufacturing centers. Francebut above all Germany, captured as the European industrial reference. Already in the latter an important ‘hub‘ Semiconductor production, the destination of most of the Spanish talent that we have not been able to maintain.

Sanchez looking for investors

The public investment scheme that the executive approved in the Council of Ministers this Tuesday has a very clear objective, “It aims to establish a foundry In Spain”, says Gabarón, who points to private investment as a key to potential Spanish success. Pedro Sánchez heads it. Over the past two days, the government’s president has met with those responsible. Intel, Micron, Cisco and Qualcomm, Leading companies in the manufacture of microchips with which to reduce European exposure to China, the great world factory.

Sánchez’s mission includes persuading giant growers to build produce complexes in Spain. However, the investment is high for these types of plants. Intel months ago announced the construction of an industrial complex in Magdeburg (Germany). The amount of investment will be 17,000 million euros.

At the moment, Spain has the commitment of the American company to establish a highly researched laboratory at the National Supercomputing Center in Barcelona. The first step in trying to take advantage of the oncoming tailwind from the European Commission. Brussels last February introduced a European law on chips, which would mobilize €43 billion With the goal that by 2030 20% of the world’s semiconductors are produced in Europe. “Very few people know that the Chinese workforce is beginning to be on par with the European. There are manufacturers who are cheaper in Europe than the Asian giants”, revealed an AESEMI spokesperson.