The government has “doubled down” on talks with companies to set up a microchip factory in Spain, a bet that PERTE Chips is part of, whose first calls will go out before the summer, and which is “not easy”.
The Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure, Maria González Veracruz, in an interview with EFE, addressed the microelectronics and semiconductors PERTE, which provides for more than 12,000 million euros of public investment until 2027 and for which this year there is a budget of 1, million euros, 450 million grants and the rest of the credits.
If half a year ago his predecessor Roberto Sánchez confirmed that there were contacts with dozens of companies to install a chip factory in Spain, González Veracruz confirmed that “it is possible to duplicate these conversations”, but “first of all. , strengthen the previous one”. It is a bet that is “not easy” but in which they are “absolutely invested” from the Presidency, to the First Vice President, to the High Commissioner of the PERTE chip, Jaime Martorella, as well as to the Secretary of State. Veracruz hopes the initiative will bear fruit in “decisions,” whether “big or small.”
Unwilling to give a timeline, he said he would go “step by step”, with the idea of trying to distribute the largest budget “as soon as possible” (of the 1,250 million planned for this year), an idea that will be completed by the end of the year. “We are committed not to lose the euro from the recovery plan.” “We will go step by step, but they will come out,” he explained.
Now they are “immersed” in the design of these first calls, for which they have a budget for the first time, and for which there are high expectations. He wouldn’t elaborate on which projects the calls are for, but said the idea is to “strengthen talent in design and promotion.”
The government approved the PERTE for microelectronics and semiconductors in May 2022 to place Spain in the benchmark country in the design and production of chips, with the idea of making public investments of 12,250 million until 2027.
A step forward in the debate about who pays for the network
The Secretary of State for Telecommunications made the demonstration at the Spanish Pavilion at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, where telcos reiterated the need for big tech companies that generate huge amounts of data. The network also covers this infrastructure.
After the European Commission launched a public consultation on the issue, González Veracruz confirmed that it was necessary to “take a step forward” and make a decision. The government agrees with the European Commission in the debate, which has been “in the environment for years” and what decisions should be made within the European framework and on the basis of consensus. He did not reveal the model Spain is pursuing, saying “there is no time” because it is in the consultation phase. When the European Commission opens the process of the legislative proposal, that is when the countries will take a detailed and step-by-step step.
The Minister of Economy and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calvino, said that the debate and future decision could be stimulated during the Spanish Presidency of the EU.
Decisions on the list of suppliers in the domestic field
Regarding the list of high-risk providers in the 5G Cyber Security Act, he assured that technical information is being collected and that “prudence and calmness” are needed in this matter. “Solutions are in the domestic sphere,” he said.
In this regard, he added that the dialogue with the TV sector is ongoing and he noted that the operators have already been asked for information under the national security scheme to carry out the first works on this list.
Source: El Diario
