On the agenda of his business-promotion trip to the United States, President Luis Abinader will tour Purdue University in Indiana to meet with the university authorities that are backing the training of Dominicans in the manufacture of semiconductors.
President Abinader is scheduled to meet in Indiana with the leadership of Purdue University, including President Mung Chiang. Purdue University is working with the Dominican Republic to train for the development of the local semiconductor industry. Accompanying the President on this trip will be Minister of Industry and Commerce, Víctor (Ito) Bisonó. Local free zone industries expect to open plants for initial phases of semiconductor manufacturing.
Yet, now Diario Libre points out that funds that would be available for the effort for an emerging semiconductor industry in the Dominican Republic may be revoked now that US President Donald Trump called for the US Congress to cancel the multi-billion funding approved in the Chips Act, a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s plan to revitalize the United States’ science and chip sectors.
Meanwhile, on 3 March 2025, the White House announced a historic US$100 billion investment by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in an Arizona-based semiconductor chips manufacturing operation. This is the largest foreign direct investment in United States history. It brings the TSMC investment in the US manufacturing plant to around US$165 million.
The Guardian reports that TSMC produces almost all of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, and the industry is often referred to as Taiwan’s “silicon shield”, incentivizing the US and allies to support Taiwan against Chinese invasion to keep the tech out of Beijing’s control.
Opposition figures have said the new US deal would reduce Taiwan’s defenses. The defense minister, however, said he was still convinced the US would protect Taiwan, as reported in The Guardian.
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6 March 2025