TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The opening of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s (TSMC) plant near the Japanese city of Kumamoto has been scheduled for Feb. 24, reports said Saturday (Dec. 30).
The project in the small town of Kikuyo is one of several fabs under preparation by the world’s largest contract chipmaker outside Taiwan. Other TSMC factories are located in Arizona and Germany.
Production at the Kumamoto facility on the southern island of Kyushu is likely to start by the end of 2024, the Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun reported. The construction of the buildings began in April 2022, while staff began working at the offices last August and chip production equipment was moved inside in October.
The fab counted 1,400 employees, including 400 Taiwanese, at present. There were plans to recruit 250 new graduates to start work during the spring of 2024, with the total number of staff reaching 1,700, per CNA.
Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM) will officially operate the foundry, a joint venture between TSMC and Sony. The Taiwanese company has invested more than NT$270 billion (US$8.79 billion) in the project.
