Fab Folly
In the 1990s, as now, Europe was spending a fortune trying to get companies to build chip plants.
Efforts to woo Chip companies by the UK were directed at Samsung, Hynix, LG, Fujitsu, Siemens Semiconductors (now Infineon), and NEC.
Samsung never started building its fab; Hynix sold its fab to Motorola which in turn never equipped it; LG built its fab but never equipped it; Fujitsu ran its fab for eight years then sold it to Filtronics; Siemens sold its fab to Atmel after three years; NEC opened two plants but closed them both.
Royalty and Prime Ministers were wheeled in to open these plants. The Queen opened no less than three UK fabs, those of NEC, Fujitsu and Siemens.