Germany to fund development of edge CPUs as part of 'tech you can trust' plan to home-brew more kit
- Reference: 1591776193
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/06/10/tech_you_can_trust_plan_germany/
- Source link:
The new fund, named the "Technology You Can Trust" initiative, will throw money at research and development in what the government considers important technologies including health tech, smart factories, self-driving cars, and 6G networks.
"Germany is a country of innovation and wants to stay that way. It's important for us to maintain our international competitiveness and our sovereignty in these key technologies," said Federal Research Minister, Anja Karliczek.
As a first step in the programme, the ministry said it would put €25m towards one project working on processors for edge computing and two on artificial intelligence. It has also opened a call for applications for an additional €20m of funding. All up, the government has earmarked €400m for research and development in microelectronics for the year.
The new plan comes at a time when nations are increasingly unhappy with imports of electronics.
American tech goliaths decide innovation is the answer to Chinese 5G dominance, not bans, national security theater [1]READ MORE
One reason for that worry is that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that reliance on distant suppliers has its problems.
Another is that some nations are tired of importing and want to grow their own industries, which is why India has declared it wants to be [2]self-sufficient in electronics and China wants to [3]hold its own with all things silicon .
A third is fears over being exposed to espionage, which is why the USA has called on its allies to exclude Huawei kit from their 5G networks, on grounds that the Chinese company's gear enables Beijing to conduct surveillance and intelligence-gathering. Huawei has repeatedly denied allegation its kit allows surveillance or that the company is a catspaw for China's government.
Germany has so far resisted US pressure to ban Huawei. However the nation barred "untrustworthy" companies subject to state influence from local 5G networks. The new fund suggests the Bundesrepublik has some sympathy for the USA's position.
Whether the modest sum of €400m will make a difference remains to be seen. But Germany does house a number of silicon FABs, some owned by local companies, so has the potential to become more independent. ®
Sponsored: [4]Security Features of Connect for Anthos
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/07/us_5g_open_ran_coalition/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/02/india_electronics_manufacturing_push/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/09/china_semiconductor_manufacturing_targets_missed/
[4] https://go.theregister.com/tl/1956/-8474/security-features-of-connect-for-anthos?td=wptl1956
Re: US pulling troops out of Germany
I remember one of my history teachers pointing out that another major reason for the US dominating the sharp end of NATO was that they didn't want Europe and Germany in particular to be able to rival the US in military capabilities. Interesting therefore that MAGA seems to include encouraging the EU to become a military power.
Cisco is just as untrustworthy as Huawei
If you decide to ban companies that are subject to state actors, then you have to grow your own telecomms kit as that is the only way you'll guarantee that the only state actor that can "see" the comms is you.
Re: Cisco is just as untrustworthy as Huawei
it's an interesting risk assessment. do I want to be monitored by my own government (the homegrown option, maybe Siemens[0] will use the funding to become a telco player again) or another state actor (be it Huawei/China or Cisco/USA)?
[0] cf. Crypto AG, Operation Rubikon
I'm all for European, British and American companies producing more of their own kit, from silicon to steel
US pulling troops out of Germany
While you're distracted, perhaps you didn't notice Trump pulling a large number of troops from Germany?
So the EU-US relationship of 'we prop up your dollars so you can stay rich, you cycle that money into your military and police the world', is ending, and the need to focus on EU self sufficiency in tech is getting a bit more urgent.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/06/turkey-did-not-make-concessions-nato-summit
And with Turkey deploying Russian air defense systems, and Trump handing Syria over to Russia and Turkey, it seems pretty inevitable that Turkey will withdraw from NATO, at which point it would handily have an air defense system already in place:
"Turkey made no concessions at this week’s Nato summit and will continue to purchase the Russian S-400 air defence system, the Turkish foreign minister has said....Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu added that the purchase of the Russian system – condemned by France and the US Congress as incompatible with Nato membership – was “perfectly understood” by Donald Trump."
And of course Russia is also in Libya, with its Wagner Group mercenaries, just the other side of the Mediterranean:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-52811093
"Earlier this month a leaked UN report spoke of hundreds of mercenaries from the shadowy Wagner Group operating in Libya. Russia backs renegade Gen Khalifa Haftar's army."
And its major ally USA, is also flipped here:
https://theintercept.com/2020/04/13/erik-prince-russia-mercenary-wagner-libya-mozambique/
"Erik Prince, founder of the private security firm Blackwater and a Trump administration adviser, has sought in recent months to provide military services to a sanctioned Russian mercenary firm in at least two African conflicts, according to three people with knowledge of the efforts....Prince, who is the brother of Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, met earlier this year with a top official of Russia’s Wagner Group and offered his mercenary forces to support the firm’s operations in Libya and Mozambique, according to two people familiar with Prince’s offer."
So Europe is hemmed in on all sides by semi-turned countries and needs to have strong control over its own technology and its own weapons.