TAIPEI, Feb 25 (Portal) – The US-led semiconductor alliance Fab 4 of Taiwan, the United States, Japan and South Korea held its first video meeting of senior officials last week, focusing on supply chain resilience, Taiwan said State Department with Saturday.
The United States convened the first meeting of the working group, colloquially known as the “Fab 4” or “Chip 4,” last September to discuss how to strengthen the semiconductor supply chain in the wake of a global chip crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic can.
Semiconductor shortages, which have forced some automakers to halt production, have put chip powerhouse Taiwan in the spotlight and made supply chain management a bigger priority for governments around the world.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the US-East Asia Semiconductor Supply Chain Resilience Working Group, or “Fab 4,” held the first video meeting of senior officials from its working group on Feb. 16 after many months of coordination.
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“The focus of the participating quartet’s discussions at the meeting was mainly on how to maintain the resilience of the semiconductor supply chain and explore the possible future directions of cooperation by all parties,” the ministry said in a statement.
“As a key member of the Indo-Pacific region, our country also plays a key role in the global semiconductor industry and enjoys close economic and trade ties with countries in the region.”
The ministry did not specify which officials attended the meeting.
President Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan is committed to ensuring its partners have reliable stocks of semiconductors, which she dubbed “democracy chips,” and urged allies to step up cooperation amid heightened threats from China.
Beijing regards the democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory.
The “fab” in the name refers to an industry-specific shorthand for the factories that make chips used in everything from refrigerators and smartphones to fighter jets.
Group members include the world’s largest contract chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (2330.TW), South Korean memory chip giants Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) and SK Hynix (000660.KS), and major Japanese suppliers of semiconductor materials and devices.
Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Edited by Andrew Heavens
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