A touch of Silicon Valley

New chip factories worth more than €40 billion are set to be built in eastern Germany. The foundation stone for the industrial park announced as Silicon Saxony was laid by a few pioneers in the German Democratic Republic.

A clay trail leads to the pit where Germany’s future will be built. Trucks depart from Königsbrucker Street in the north of Dresden, passing through a small forest towards construction cranes. There will be a factory here one day. Instead of the filth of a construction site, there will be rooms that can only be entered by those who have first undergone a small cleaning procedure. In general, face mask, hair net, gloves. Every blemish, no matter how small, can lead to problems. Much of the work will be performed by robots moving through the halls along guideways.

When everything is finished, perhaps in the fall of 2026, power semiconductors, that is, chips, will be produced at the new factory located on the outskirts of the Saxon capital. They can control wind turbines, regulate solar energy systems and install them in cars. Five billion in sales per year, or about 1,000 jobs. When the official groundbreaking ceremony was held last May, the President of the European Commission and the German Chancellor traveled to East Germany. “Dresden is a digital beacon in Europe,” said Ursula von der Leyen. “Look here at Dresden, Germany’s future is being built here,” Olaf Schulz said cheerfully.

Political geography of Saxony