Top global chip maker unveils Russia plans

The world’s top chip-manufacturing nation, Taiwan, plans to continue cooperation with Russia despite the current crisis over Ukraine, Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong said on Monday, as cited by news agency CNA.

While speaking at a Legislative Education and Culture Committee meeting, Wu said that Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has 50 ongoing projects with the Russian Science Foundation. Most of the projects are in the fields of science, engineering, and technological development, the minister said.

Wu also praised Russia’s science and space technology as being “very good” and said that bilateral cooperation has benefited Taiwan as it develops its own space capabilities, especially in small satellites.

Taiwan is the unmatched leader of the global semiconductor industry, accounting for 92% of the world’s manufacturing capacity. The government has pledged to support international sanctions against Russia, with its chip producer giant TSMC having stopped the production of Russian microprocessors at its plant. Experts have warned, however, that a ban on tech sales to Russia could spark a global microchip war. Sanctions could backfire on manufacturers of computer processors and semiconductors, as many crucial components for their production are sourced exclusively in Russia, they said.

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