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MOEA to subsidise IC designers
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is set to budget around NT$800 million to subsidise smaller domestic IC designers in the development of processes below 28 nanometres.
The amount constitutes part of the NT$5.2 billion the ministry is set to receive next year as part of a semiconductor industry innovation project proposed by the National Science and Technology Council. Around NT$12-billion will be channelled into the five-year project in 2024.
The Industrial Development Bureau says the funding aims to help domestic smaller IC designers develop advanced IC processes due to expected competition from China.
Separately, the MOEA says that funds channelled into Taiwan's research and development reached NT$820.6 billion in 2021. The Ministry says this marks a 14.2% annual increase and officials point out that over the past decade, R&D expenditure grew by an average 7% each year.
Government data indicates that Taiwan's R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP in 2021 reached 3.8%, ranking third globally, following only Israel and South Korea.
The Ministry says analyzing specific industries within the manufacturing sector, Taiwan, South Korea, and the United States all spent the most on R&D in the computer, electronic, and optical product manufacturing industries, including electronic components.
