TSMC plans to hold an official opening ceremony for its first factory in Japan on February 24 this year, according to new reports previously confirmed by TSMC.
The new semiconductor factory in Japan will be able to manufacture chips with a manufacturing precision of 28 nanometers (N28), and according to TSMC, this will be the most advanced factory in Japan, as TSMC seeks to expand its operations outside Taiwan; Driven by rising demand for chips and influenced by the current geopolitical landscape. TSMC is also setting up a research and development center in Japan.
The factory’s monthly production capacity is scheduled to reach approximately 45,000 chips per month, and the initial investment in the factory is expected to reach $7 billion with the Japanese government’s support for the project, but there are some obstacles that have affected the size of the factory’s total investment.
What is striking is that this factory relies on manufacturing chips with a manufacturing precision of 28 nanometers, as this precision is considered old and cannot be used in the manufacture of advanced chips (SoCs) for smartphones or personal computers, let alone central processing units or high-performance graphics processing units.
But the manufacturing accuracy of 28 nanometers will be well suited for chips used in the automotive and consumer electronics sectors, as there is still a large demand for these chips in Japan with many large companies operating in these sectors.
The TSMC factory will be located near the city of Kumamoto, located on the island of Kyushu in Japan, according to the China Times, citing Japanese media sources.
The production phase will begin in the second half of 2024, as previously planned without any change. It is rumored that TSMC will build another factory in Japan that will be able to manufacture chips using manufacturing technologies that include N16, N12, and N12e, which belong to the 16nm as well as the 12nm manufacturing process.
The factory will employ approximately 1,700 people when operating at full capacity. Currently, the facility has approximately 1,400 employees and approximately 250 new graduates are expected to join in the spring of 2024, according to the China Times.
