The government announced, Monday, June 5, to put nearly three billion euros to finance a semiconductor factory in Crolles, near Grenoble. France seeks to build its industrial independence. The decryption of Fanny Guinochet.
Nearly three billion euros: ct is one of the largest amounts invested in six years to build a factory in France. Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire announced on Monday the amount of state aid that will be granted to the new semiconductor factory of STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries in Crolles, near Grenoble, a project of almost 7.5 billion euros, said Bercy.
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The money is taken from the “France 2030” recovery plan for this site. If the government takes out the checkbook, it is to avoid shortages of semi-conductors, essential for telephony, the construction of cars, etc. We can see it right now: for lack of electronic components, Renault is suspending the construction of its little Zoé on the Flins site for three weeks. Such an investment is justly to ensure that the chips manufactured in Crolles will go well with the French economy and will not be exported abroad, especially if there is a shortage.
New sites and questions
The government has thus set a condition: on part of the production of this factory – 5% – the State will have its say and will be able to decide where to allocate these components, to which tricolor factories. Another clause of the contract: if the STMicro company earns more money than expected, part of the subsidy must be returned to the State.
France cannot hope to be the leader in this niche because Asian countries, especially China, really dominate the semiconductor industry. But with these investments, the European Union hopes to quickly reach 20% of world production. VSThis is not the only area where France is seeking to reindustrialize to gain independence: pharmaceuticals, the manufacture of electric batteries… Hence the announcement last week of the construction of mega-factories for electric batteries , in Hauts-de-France.
It is therefore to be expected that other factories will be set up, but perhaps not with the same levels of investment. The European Commission must validate next week several future installations supported by the French State: X-FAB in Corbeil-Essonne, Soitec, near Grenoble, both also in semiconductors or even in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, a factory of the automotive supplier Valéo. But beyond the subsidies, the jobs that these future factories promise to create, there remain questions and not the least: will these sites respect the environment?
Monday, June 5 in Crolles, ecological demonstrators denounced the establishment of the plant because it will consume the water of the region. “Water, not fleas“said the banners, emphasizing how, with the droughts, water is also a precious and highly strategic resource.