The German industry association for high technology, Silicon Saxony, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The anniversary celebration comes at a time when Saxony is growing as a high-tech location. At the same time, the industry is facing the challenge of the worldwide chip shortage.

Next Generation: New formation of the board of directors completed
The 20th anniversary of Silicon Saxony also marks the beginning of a new phase in the leadership of the high-tech cluster. After twelve years in office, Heinz Martin Esser gave his last speech as Chairman. Dirk Röhrborn, Managing Director of the software company Communardo GmbH and a member of the Silicony Saxony board since December 2020, takes over as Chairman of the Board. The new member of the board of Silicon Saxony e.V. is Yvonne Keil, Director Global Procurement at the chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries and previously an adjunct member of the board.

Silicon Saxony receives ECEI GOLD Label for the 4th time
The network represents the entire breadth and performance of Saxony as a business and technology location and brings together the various industries under one roof. "Our activities now extend far beyond the borders of Saxony. The Silicon Saxony e. V. network has long since become a globally established brand," explains the cluster manager Frank Bösenberg. "Silicon Saxony e. V. was the first European cluster to receive the GOLD Label 'Excel in Cluster Excellence' from the European Cluster Excellence Initiative (ECEI) for the fourth time." The network applied for its first GOLD Label in 2012 and got recertified three times ever since. "The aim is to provide unrelenting support for the entire cluster and thus also for the entire ICT value chain of Saxony as a top location. The GOLD Label is confirmation of the excellent work in and for Saxony, both on the part of the network organisation and on the part of the countless voluntary supporters and committed 375 members.", Frank Bösenberg, Cluster Manager.

Industry association welcomes Vodafone as 375th member
The signs continue to point to growth for the network: with the telecommunications company Vodafone, Silicon Saxony e. V. welcomes its 375th member during the anniversary celebration. Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO of Vodafone Germany, explains: "The 20th anniversary and the high vitality of the association show that people in Saxony think long-term. I am very excited about the cooperation with the association and all its members. Dresden prevailed over international high-tech capitals such as Dublin and Lisbon in the bid for the research and development centre. An essential building block for this was the strong networking within the corporate landscape through Silicon Saxony e. V. The large number and quality of company settlements in recent years show that the right conditions for the coming decades have been created in [Saxony]. We would like to play our part in this with further practical research into new mobile radio technologies".