The Government could provide sites for microchip-makers in a bid to lure companies like Nvidia and get them to build high-tech production facilities in the Republic.
The plan is part of the Government’s new national semiconductor strategy aimed at attracting companies and creating some 35,000 new jobs in the industry here by 2040.
Chip-makers like Intel already have a significant presence in the Republic. But with the troubled US company looking to shed jobs the Government wants to strengthen Ireland’s role in the strategically important global semiconductor industry.
“Ireland already has a strong semiconductor base with over 130 indigenous and multinational companies, 20,000 jobs and €13.5 billion in annual exports,” said Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke, who will launch the strategy on Monday at Tyndall National Institute in Cork City. “But with the right support I believe we could do far more. By 2040 Ireland could support up to 34,500 new semiconductor roles.”
As part of the strategy, dubbed “Silicon Island”, the Government wants to secure investment in one “leading edge” semiconductor fabrication facility in “a regional location”. This facility will be able to produce the most advanced chips available, similar to Intel’s Leixlip plant.
It is also targeting two lower-tech facilities as part of the strategy.
Among the “deliverables” contained in the strategy is the development of “next generation sites” with the infrastructure to support “large-scale manufacturing”.
The targets will be guided by an “industry-led advisory council”, which the Department of Enterprise said will consist of “of key stakeholders, bringing together industry, academia and the enterprise agencies”.
Mr Burke said: “From AI to quantum computing and the green transition, semiconductors are at the core of global innovation. This strategy is Ireland’s commitment to helping deliver on the European Chips Act and to becoming a global leader in this vital sector. Ireland is turning to chips as the next big opportunity.”
Semiconductors have been produced in the Republic since the 1970s when Analog Devices opened a factory in Limerick. The industry generated €15.5 billion in revenue in 2023, according to Tyndall, employing some 20,000 people.
