TSMC officially announced plans to build a second wafer fab in Japan on Tuesday. The factory will be operated by Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM), a subsidiary of TSMC, and will use 6-nanometer and 7-nanometer process technologies to manufacture chips, which will make it the world’s most advanced semiconductor production plant for logic chips. Japan.
JASM is currently preparing to start operating its first wafer fab in Japan. The semiconductor production facility, which will officially open on February 24, will be able to process up to 55,000 300 mm wafers (WSPM) per month using TSMC’s 40 nm, 28 nm, 22 nm, 16 nm and 12 nm processes. First-class process technology. The factory is designed to meet the needs of JASM small investors such as Sony, Toyota and Denso, as well as other Japanese companies such as car manufacturers.
The new N6 and N7 plants will be adjacent to JASM’s upcoming plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. According to TSMC, the factory will begin operations by the end of 2027, when the factory’s production capacity will increase to more than 100,000 300mm wafers per month. Fab capacity can be adjusted based on demand and other factors.
The initial Fab 23, which will come online in the coming weeks and months, is designed to meet the needs of Japanese companies such as Sony and Toyota and ensure that they do not encounter a variety of processes that are critical to their products but do not require advanced process technology. Shortage of commodity chips. The second fab will use 6-nanometer and 7-nanometer process technologies, which will be able to produce more complex processors and will introduce these production nodes in Japan for the first time. Essentially, the announcement of the new fab shows that JASM is ready to slowly catch up with TSMC’s leading fabs in Japan.
TSMC said that in order to build the new wafer fab, JASM’s owners will add additional funds to the joint venture, and with “strong support from the Japanese government”, their total investment in the fab will exceed $20 billion. As a result, JASM will be able to produce chips for a wide range of applications, including automotive, industrial, consumer and HPC-related applications.
According to the new investment agreement, JASM’s ownership will be divided as follows: TSMC will hold the largest stake at 86.5%, followed by SSS (6.0%), DENSO (5.5%) and Toyota (2.0%).