The Dutch and Taiwanese semiconductor industries are compatible with each other and this results in a strong trade relation which we want to strengthen even further with a series of online webinars covering multiple topics of interest to both the Dutch and Taiwanese semiconductor industry, to explore new cooperation potential in the semiconductor industry between the Netherlands and Taiwan.
Market
The semiconductor industry is Taiwan’s most important industry. It is responsible for most of Taiwan’s exports, 14% of its GDP, and a strategically important sector. The Netherlands High-Tech industry has played an important role in the past in Taiwan. Philips was a founding partner of TSMC and its first customer, and these interdependent business ties are still evident today with ASML as a vital supplier to TSMC and other Taiwanese foundries, and NXP as one of their largest EU-based customers. The trade relationship between the Netherlands and Taiwan is about 6 billion euro annually dominated by the semiconductor industry. Because of the mutual importance, the Netherlands Office Taipei together with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and High Tech NL/ Holland Semiconductors takes the initiative to organize a series of activities aimed at strengthening relations in the semiconductor supply chain between the Netherlands and Taiwan even further.
Taiwan
Taiwan ranks 2nd in the global semiconductor industry by market share. The key strength of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry lies in semiconductor manufacturing, with TSMC being the world’s largest and most advanced foundry-only chip manufacturer. However, Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is a lot more than just TSMC, as it is also home to UMC, Nanya, and various specialist chip manufacturers. Next to that Taiwan is strong in IC design with Mediatek, Novatek, and Realtek and Taiwanese companies have a leading position with a global market share of about 50% in back-end packaging, assembly, and testing, including companies such as ASE Group, SPIL, and PTI.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands’ main strength lies in semiconductor equipment manufacturing. ASML’s lithography machines, including the EUV machines, are the most well-known example of this Dutch strength in Equipment. Around ASML there is a complete eco-system of Dutch High-tech companies. There are notable Dutch equipment suppliers such as ASM International, Besi, and a range of SME equipment manufacturers and component suppliers. Other Dutch strengths in the semiconductor industry can be found in specific niches, like IC design in RF, testing, integrated photonics, and compound materials.
