[News] Ireland Reportedly Unveils Multi-Billion Euro Project to Draw TSMC and Samsung for Investment

According to Liberty Times, citing Business Post, Ireland unveils a new plan outlining a series of support measures aimed at advancing its semiconductor industry. The government is reportedly offering subsidies worth several billion euros to attract tech giants like TSMC and Samsung to invest in the country. Irish Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke launched the strategy on Monday, according to the ministry’s press release.

As The Irish Times notes, the incentives target some of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, aiming to create 35,000 jobs by 2040 and attract up to three semiconductor fabs to Ireland.

Liberty Times, citing Business Post, indicates that one of the planned facilities will be a cutting-edge production site, comparable to Intel’s €10 billion fab in Leixlip, Co. Kildare. The other two are expected to focus on producing legacy chips, the report notes.

Meanwhile, the report also mentions that the support measures will not come in the form of direct funding, but rather as indirect subsidies—such as offering strategic sites for high-tech manufacturing at heavily discounted rates through the Industrial Development Authority.

Intel’s Irish Operations

Among major chipmakers, Intel already has a significant presence in Ireland, but with the struggling U.S. firm planning to cut over 20% of its global workforce, the future of its Irish employees remains uncertain, as noted by The Irish Times.

Nonetheless, Intel continues to invest in the region. A Liberty Times report from March, citing eeNews Europe, notes that the company is shifting high-volume production of 3nm chips to its Fab 34 facility in Ireland later in 2025, as outlined in its 2024 annual report.

The report highlights one of the key challenges in the semiconductor supply chain: Europe’s lack of advanced process technology. As such, the availability of Intel’s 3nm process through Intel Foundry Services could provide the company with a critical edge as it works to recover.

Fab 34 in Leixlip is central to Intel’s expansion strategy. According to a company press release from June 2024, Intel sold a 49% stake in the facility to an equity fund managed by Apollo, as part of its efforts to secure external investment to support future growth.

Read more

• [News] Intel Plans to Shift 3nm Production to Ireland in 2025, Expands Advanced Manufacturing in Europe
• [News] EU Auditors Warn of High Risk: China Supplies One-Third of EU Legacy Chip Imports

(Photo credit: Intel)