Germany's 'Silicon Saxony Day' Welcomes Taiwan as First-Ever Partner Country

According to a report by Central News Agency (CNA) journalist Lin Shang-Ying from Berlin, the 20th edition of Silicon Saxony Days 2026, Germany's largest semiconductor industry cluster event, was held from February 15 to 17 at Dresden Airport. Taiwan was invited for the first time as the official partner country.

Michael Kretschmer, Prime Minister of the German state of Saxony, praised Taiwan's achievements in the high-tech industry during his opening speech and pledged full support for the smooth progress of TSMC's (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) factory construction project in Dresden.

Organized by the Silicon Saxony Association, the event focused on key topics including semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced manufacturing, supply chain resilience, and sustainable transformation. It is recognized as Europe's largest microelectronics and information and communications technology (ICT) industry gathering.

According to a press release from the Taipei Representative Office in Germany, this year's event attracted over 2,000 participants from global semiconductor companies, technology firms, and government agencies—the highest attendance in the event's history.

During his opening remarks, Prime Minister Kretschmer stated that Germany has much to learn from Taiwan's high-tech success and reaffirmed his government's commitment to ensuring the successful implementation of TSMC's Dresden plant project.

Taiwan's Representative to Germany, Ku Jui-Sheng, delivered a keynote speech titled 'Taiwan: A Natural and Value-Based Partner of Democratic Economies.' In his address, he emphasized the shared democratic values between Taiwan and Germany, as well as Taiwan's critical role in the global semiconductor and AI supply chains.

Additionally, the 'German-Taiwanese Economic Forum' (Deutsch-Taiwanisches Wirtschaftsforum) was officially launched during the opening ceremony of Silicon Saxony Days.

Initiated by Daniela Kluckert, former Parliamentary State Secretary at Germany's Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, and Frank Müller-Rosentritt, former member of the German Bundestag, the forum aims to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation and investment by connecting German and Taiwanese businesses, political institutions, and research organizations.

Prime Minister Kretschmer and Representative Ku jointly signed the founding document of the German-Taiwanese Economic Forum, symbolizing the deepening of economic ties between the two sides.

Representative Ku expressed hope that the new forum, together with the Silicon Saxony Association, will facilitate greater collaboration between German SMEs and Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain, and help Taiwanese investors integrate more deeply into the European industrial ecosystem.

In addition to official events, Representative Ku visited booths of several Taiwanese exhibitors and supply chain companies arranged by the organizers. He learned about the market development of Taiwanese businesses in Germany and reaffirmed the government's ongoing support for overseas expansion. (Edited by Chen Hui-Ping)