BRUSSELS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) is working hard to regain its driving seat in the world's semiconductor industry, EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said on Friday.
Europe used to produce 30 to 40 percent of the world's semiconductor needs, and the ratio today stands at roughly 10 percent due to globalization, said Breton when visiting the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) in Leuven, Belgium.
With its strength in research and development, the EU is to engage in mass production again and balance the supply chains that have allegedly been reliant on Asian countries.
"Today, we produce 10 percent of what is needed in the world in Europe in terms of semiconductors. We will double it in the next 10 years," Breton told a press conference together with Luc Van den hove, president and chief executive officer of IMEC.
Breton and Van den hove said IMEC will present a paper next week on a technology to produce a 1.4 nanometer transistor, which will likely be used in the under-two-nanometer processor.
"The first production line of below two nanometers will be here in IMEC," hailed Breton.
Expressing gratitude for the EU's strategy to revive the industry, Van den hove said it would be very challenging for the continent to "move fast enough" without the support.
"It is clear that other regions are also moving fast. We know what is happening in the U.S. and I think therefore it is extremely important to get maximum sense of urgency also in Europe to make progress on this," he said. Enditem