Mayor Lee Donghwan of Goyang Discusses 'Future Cooperation' with Leading German Semiconductor Companies

Visits to Global Semiconductor Companies Chipmetrics and GlobalFoundries
Discussing Win-Win Strategies Including R&D Collaboration and Investment

On September 9 (local time), Lee Donghwan, mayor of Goyang Special City, visited leading global semiconductor companies to present the city's industrial potential and vision, and to discuss possible avenues for cooperation. Following his meetings with city officials and bio-healthcare companies in Dresden the previous day, he moved to strengthen the foundation for mutual growth and investment attraction with global semiconductor firms.

Lee Donghwan, mayor of Goyang Special City, visiting ChipMatrix. Provided by Goyang Special City.

Mayor Lee first visited Chipmetrics GmbH, a company specializing in 3D thin film measurement and quality control for semiconductors. He introduced Goyang City's plans for Ilsan Technovalley and the designation of the Goyang Free Economic Zone, and proposed ways to collaborate on global supply chains for semiconductor and nanomaterial equipment and components, with Goyang serving as a key hub.

In response, Thomas Werner, head of the wafer metrology division, expressed a positive outlook for cooperation, stating, "Just as Chipmetrics entered the Dresden semiconductor cluster, we look forward to working together in Goyang, which is an excellent place for business and is set to develop advanced technology industry clusters such as Ilsan Technovalley and the Goyang Free Economic Zone."

Next, Mayor Lee visited GlobalFoundries Inc., one of the world's top five semiconductor foundry companies. He received detailed explanations of GlobalFoundries' industry-academia-research collaboration cluster, as well as its practices in eco-friendly, smart manufacturing, and carbon-neutral factory operations.

GlobalFoundries operates the largest facility in Europe, producing over 850,000 wafers annually. In 2020, it became the first company in Europe to obtain Common Criteria (CC) security certification, securing high-security chip production capabilities. At the same time, the company is implementing sustainable growth strategies, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and CO₂ output.

Mayor Lee stated, "Goyang is a city proactively responding to future demands, such as by developing a hub-type smart city and being selected as a pilot zone for autonomous vehicles. We can seek collaborative business opportunities in technological innovation with GlobalFoundries, which is also addressing future needs in AI, electric vehicles, and next-generation communications."

He also emphasized, "Goyang City is pursuing a sustainable urban growth strategy by aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050, reducing greenhouse gases, bidding to host COP33, and leading global cooperation." He continued discussions on cooperation and investment attraction with new industry hubs such as the Goyang Free Economic Zone and Ilsan Technovalley.

Lee Donghwan, mayor of Goyang Special City, visiting GlobalFoundries. Photo by Goyang Special City

Jens Drews, director at GlobalFoundries, commented, "Through this meeting with the mayor of Goyang, I felt that Goyang is a modern, dynamic, and youthful city. I realized that we share a future-oriented vision, not only in innovative technology but also in building a sustainable, eco-friendly society through carbon neutrality. I hope we can continue to grow together through cooperation."

Through this visit to Dresden, Germany, Goyang City has solidified its status as a future advanced industrial city. Mayor Lee shared the city's vision of becoming a core hub in the global supply chain by attracting semiconductor, bio-precision medicine, and media-content companies centered around Ilsan Technovalley and the Goyang Free Economic Zone, effectively showcasing Goyang's potential to global companies and investors.

Meanwhile, since September 4, Mayor Lee has benchmarked urban regeneration, decentralization, and MICE industries in London, UK, and Berlin, Germany, under the auspices of the Metropolitan Cities Association. He then moved to Dresden to engage in cooperation and investment attraction activities with semiconductor and bio companies, and returned to Korea on September 10.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.