Lithuania pursues semiconductor partnership with Taiwan as Europe seeks share of global market

Although there is a focus on semiconductor production and fabrication, there is also a need to address other areas such as design services or packaging and testing, in order to hit the target, he said.

“We plan to have a packaging and testing facility here in Lithuania, so our facilities (and) our services will help Europe to reach this goal,” said Mr Zdaniauskis.

That ambition was what helped the electronics firm form a partnership with the Taiwanese research institute.

Under the agreement, Taiwan will provide licences for semiconductor manufacturing, as well as training for Lithuanian workers and consulting on the project.

The semiconductors are imported from Asia at the moment, but the vision is for more of such components to be designed, manufactured and packaged in the Baltic state, providing more control over the end product and more security in the supply chain.

TENSIONS WITH BEIJING

The developments come amid not just frosty relations between Lithuania and China, but heightened tensions across the strait between Beijing and Taipei.