TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) said on Wednesday (June 23) that its original plan to build a 2 nm facility in Hsinchu, with later expansion to Taichung, remains in place.
TSMC’s announcement came in response to local media reports claiming the company was planning to change the location of its second 2 nm fab from Taichung to Kaohsiung instead, according to CNA. The chipmaker said that while it is still considering locations for expansion, including Kaohsiung, Hsinchu Science Park still remains the favored location for the initial 2 nm facility, followed by the Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung for 2 nm process expansion.
The company said myriad factors are taken into consideration when choosing possible locations for new facilities. It added that it continues to work with Hsinchu Science Park, Central Taiwan Science Park, and Southern Taiwan Science Park to evaluate all options, including Hsinchu, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.
TSMC’s most advanced commercial chips currently are from its 5 nm process line, with its more advanced 3 nm chips expected to be ready for volume production by the second half of 2022.
Recent reports say the company plans to shift priority to Apple and automotive chips, followed by PCs, servers, and networking devices in the third quarter, amid the continuing global chip crunch.
