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European Commission Official Sees $100 bln In Private Chip Investment By 2030

The European Chips Act is on track to help attract more than 100 billion euros ($108.41 billion) worth of private investment to the European semiconductor industry by 2030, a European Commission official said on Wednesday.

Thomas Skordas was speaking at a conference in Antwerp about the future of the initiative, which is Europe’s answer to similar programmes in the United States and Japan and to China’s support for its domestic computer chip makers.

The European Chips Act has led to “promises for investments of the order of 100 billion euros to expand the manufacturing capacity within the EU by 2030”, Skordas said.

The European Union Chips Act, billed as offering funding of 43 billion euros, relies heavily on individual governments with the Commission so far approving very little actual funding.

However, firms including Intel INTC.O and TSMC 2330.TW have announced plans to build plants in Germany at a cost of more than 30 billion euros this year.

Skordas, an official at the Commission’s digital unit, said the commission expects to finalise funding for R&D pilot lines in four sub-sectors of the chip industry by September, including a 2.5 billion euro grant for developing extremely advanced chips in Europe.

Skordas said unspecified funding for another pilot line to develop photonics, or chips that use light instead of electricity, is still in the works.

The Commission is also arranging funding for a European design platform to give companies, academics and startups access to the software tools needed to design their own chips. Most advanced chipmakers design chips but leave the manufacturing to specialists such as TSMC, Samsung 005930.KS or Intel.

“In July, we expect to open the call for the consortium that will be responsible for designing and developing this platform at the European level,” Skordas said.

Oil Prices Dip Amid Rising U.S. Crude Inventories and Middle East Tensions

Oil prices experienced a slight decline on Wednesday following reports of a larger-than-expected increase in U.S. crude inventories. This drop was moderated by ongoing concerns over Middle East tensions, particularly as Israel continued its military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.

Brent crude futures saw a slight decrease of 0.3%, settling at $75.84 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures also dipped 0.3% to $71.54 per barrel. Despite the decline, oil prices had risen earlier in the week, supported by uncertainty over how the Israel-Iran conflict might evolve, especially following U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s diplomatic efforts in Israel.

Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported a 1.64 million barrel rise in U.S. crude stocks last week, significantly higher than analysts’ expectations of a 300,000-barrel increase. This unexpected stockpile increase weighed on the market, adding pressure to oil prices.

Analysts are also keeping an eye on China’s economic stimulus efforts, which could positively influence global oil demand. Market strategists, like Yeap Jun Rong, have noted that the potential for a longer conflict in the Middle East could lead to continued price volatility.

This situation, combined with geopolitical risks and economic variables, continues to impact global oil markets, leaving traders wary of further price shifts.

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