STMicroelectronics with the largest foreign direct investment in Malta's history
The second edition of the Global Semiconductor Conference Malta 2025 brought together industry leaders, innovators, policymakers, and researchers from across the globe to explore the opportunities and challenges shaping one of the world's most vital industries.
The conference served as a platform to highlight Malta's growing role in Europe's semiconductor ecosystem and its ambition to remain a reliable, forward-looking partner in driving technological progress across the continent.
Over the years, STMicroelectronics has been central to Malta's success in this sector, continuing to expand its operations while reinforcing the country's position within Europe's semiconductor network through the extension of its Smart Factory. This investment, the largest in Malta's history, represents both a legacy of excellence and a future of opportunity.
Malta's increasing appeal as an investment destination was also underlined, with reports from EY and the Financial Times ranking the country among the world's top performers in attracting new foreign direct investment relative to its size.
As also announced in Budget 2026, several national initiatives are helping to build on this momentum. As part of the Government's commitment to innovation, a new Tax Benefit for Research and Innovation is being introduced, allowing companies to benefit from a 175% tax deduction on eligible R&I expenditure, a measure designed to encourage greater investment in high-value, knowledge-based activities.
The €8 million Malta Semiconductor Competence Centre, cofinanced by the Chips Joint Undertakings, established in partnership with the University of Malta, European partners, and IMEC in Belgium, is creating new opportunities for Maltese researchers and students to access world-class training and facilities.
Meanwhile, DIHUBMT is supporting start-ups and researchers in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, and high-performance computing. Complementing this is a €10 million investment in EuroPC's CALYPSO AI Factory Antenna, which is helping local companies accelerate innovation and bring new products to market faster.
In his address, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects Silvio Schembri spoke about the vital role semiconductors play in modern life, powering everything from cars and hospitals to communication systems and manufacturing.
“For Malta, the semiconductor industry represents our belief that innovation has no borders. It shows how a small nation can play an essential role in Europe's technological transformation. Our focus is to keep building on this success by investing in skills, research, and technology, and ensuring that the progress we make today continues to benefit future generations," stated Minister Schembri.
Malta Enterprise CEO George Gregory said that “Malta's role may be modest in scale, but it is strategic in impact. Our size gives us agility, the ability to test new ideas quickly, foster collaboration, and adapt in real time. This makes Malta a valuable testbed for new semiconductor technologies that complement Europe's broader initiatives."
During this year's event Fabio Gualandris, President of Quality, Manufacturing and Technology at STMicroelectronics unveiled the company's first humanoid for manufacturing in the packaging and test fab in Malta. President Gualandris noted that: “The introduction of humanoid robots in our Malta fab represents an important step in the company's transformation, combining human creativity with machine precision to enhance efficiency and innovation in semiconductor manufacturing."
