Kung said that the growth of the IC sector shows its strength after years of stable development, which has boosted Taiwanese semiconductor firms’ global competitiveness and improved their efficiency. Taiwan is home to many IC heavyweights, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (日月光半導體), the world’s largest IC packaging and testing service provider. “Taiwan’s IC sector, which has laid a solid foundation for local industrial development, is expected to support the next-generation industries,” Kung said, referring to the government’s “five plus two” industrial innovation program. The “five plus two” industries refer to seven key innovative industrial development projects that the government has proposed to transform national economic and industrial structures. Kung said that the industries’ development would rely on a strong IC industry, so the government is determined to fully support the semiconductor sector to benefit industrial development.

Source: Taipei Times September 13, 2017 16:03 UTC