Chipmakers STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries announced on Monday plans to build a semiconductor factory in France, drawing on funding from the government, the latest move to boost output in the region.
The project represents the lion’s share of the 6.7 billion euros ($6.8 billion) of investment from major global companies that President Emmanuel Macron is due to announce at this year’s Choose France summit in Versailles.
The United States and the European Union have been pushing for home-grown chip factories by offering billions in state subsidies to cut dependency on Asian suppliers and ease a global chip shortage which has created havoc for carmakers.
This facility, which will be next to STM’s existing plant in Crolles, is targeted to reach full capacity by 2026, with up to 620,000 wafers per year of production at a size of 18-nanometers, the statement said.
Those are used in automotive, internet-of-things and mobile applications.
The companies did not disclose the amount of investment at the new site near the Italian and Swiss borders or how much funding the French state would provide.
French presidential advisers said they could not disclose the subsidy amount as they hoped there will be money from the European Commission as part of the Chips Act, the budget for which has yet to be negotiated.
In a call with journalists, the companies said the investment would be challenging without participation from the French government.
A person familiar with the matter said that the total investment would be about $5.7 billion.
Macron’s office said the French President would visit the factory site and it represented an investment of more than 5.7 billion euros.
