Finland and Sweden unveiled their joint pavilion at the 2026 SEMICON Taiwan on Wednesday, September 2. Sweden’s Representative to Taiwan Carl Michael Gräns told Rti in an exclusive interview that Sweden and Taiwan have a lot to learn from each other, especially in green manufacturing and technology commercialization.

Gräns said that Sweden’s semiconductor industry is small but growing very fast, evidenced by the fact that the joint pavilion is hosting ten Swedish companies this year, up from seven in 2025. He also highlighted the fact that Swedish companies are highly specialized in research and development in fields like green manufacturing, silicon photonics, and quantum computing. However, Gräns noted that Taiwanese companies tend to be better at commercializing innovation, crucial for development and growth, while in Sweden innovation sometimes stops at the academic level. 

Gräns noted there was room for exchanges not only in industry but also in education. He said around 150 exchange students from Sweden study at Taiwanese universities every year, with approximately 100 more learning Mandarin in Taiwan. 

Two-way exchanges were also on the minds of company representatives exhibiting at the Finnish and Swedish pavilion. Julius Hållstedt, the head of semiconductor and electronics segment at Excillum, said that Swedish companies are good at niche technologies and partner up with companies around the world to commercialize them, due to the lack of domestic chip manufacturing. Tommi Hakulinen, a director at the laser manufacturer Vexlum, said that the company hopes to develop partnerships with Taiwanese manufacturers and replace gas lasers currently widely used across the tech industry with their more modern semiconductor-based solutions.